The problem is that local police are getting increasingly aggressive about abusing your privacy, and seeking access to your devices during the course of routine stops and searches.

Legally there is a combination of abuse and grey area right now, and it's going to get worse near term.

Those government information requests don't cover how many times an officer at the local or state level has accessed someone's phone either illegally or questionably legally.

This move by Apple can help to blunt that effort by the local police.