Authorities seize digital devices and they want to use the data inside them to find evidence. Some times they can’t decrypt the data and in case of iPhone they ask Apple to decrypt the data for them. In fact, the number of those cases is so big that Apple has a waiting list for them. I don’t think even Apple can decrypt the data as the algorithms used in such devices are not that easy to crack but they don’t have to either. If someone, and in this case Apple, bypass the security lock can gain access to all your unencrypted data. It is believed that Apple built a backdoor to its OS to gain access to any device for whatever reason. Apple then sends the unencrypted data back to the police and they use it to catch bad guys or put them into jail. Some times it is scary how easy it is to unlock a phone, even if it is the company who created its operating system. If the company can do it then hackers can figure it out and do it too. I bet this information can be sold for millions in black market.

Authorities need Apple to decrypt iPhone data