Apple announced new privacy policy on Wednesday and it will no longer be able to share private data stored on iPhones and iPads running on the new iOS8 operating system – even at the request of a law enforcement agency carrying a search warrant.

A new passcode encryption technology built in to iOS8 prevents anyone but the user of the device from accessing its photos, messages, emails, contacts and call history. It bars even Apple from getting its hands on that information. This level of protection, however, does not extend to what’s stored on iCloud.

“Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data,” Apple said on its Web site. “So it’s not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8.”

Do you applaud this decision? Is the passcode really indestructible? A recent Supreme Court decision ruled a search warrant is needed in most cases before police can access data on phones. How would Apple’s new privacy feature impact police work?

Guest:

Nathan Wessler, an attorney in the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)

Karen Kruger, Attorney with Funk and Bolton law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland; Kruger concentrates on law enforcement matters, advising chief law enforcement executives in all aspects of managing police agencies

Ronald T. Hosko, the former head of the FBI’s criminal investigative division