 | Apple has assisted the FBI in every way to help fight terrorism:
Apple is opposed to this and naturally other governments will wonder "why should only the US government have a backdoor - I want one too". It is the San Bernadino case that the FBI wants to solve by accessing iPhones. It takes no genius to understand what this will do to the confidence of Apple's products. If a backdoor is there - designed by Apple - then it is open for everybody to abuse including the bad guys. The reason is the eternal national security and it always is opposed to privacy. "Something like this could have prevented 911" the FBI says; the flipside of it is that something like this also enables states like North Korea. Apple is sure to lose business over this if the data can be up for grabbing. |
Apple has shared their sentiments in a customer letter:
http://www.apple.com/customer-letter/
The FBI wants Apple to manipulate the software:
Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.
The FBI claim that the software will only be used once in this particular situation
--and Apple does not buy it:The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone. But that’s simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks — from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable.
Apple simply does not believe that all those efforts to make the phone safe should be compromised on purpose.
And the FBI tapdance around laws, Congress and democratic control.
Rather than asking for legislative action through Congress, the FBI is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority.
1789 must have been a busy year in the computer industry....
Apple states what privacy advocates have been screaming for a long time - and they say it well:
.The implications of the government’s demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone or camera without your knowledge.
The sad thing is that the government can already do all that; but they probably found and even older act for that - chilling indeed.
This standoff had to come at some point in time since Apple and Google have been going for tougher encryption lately.
The FBI has not been able to crack that encryption.
Google is supporting Apple in this case.
It remains to be seen if this will matter to the government.
Rumour has it that Apple is fighting in a secret FISA court, fighting a government order to make its platform more surveillance-friendly - and they are loosing.
This might explain Tim Cook's recent interest in privacy.
There is no evidence to support this rumor - as it wouldn't be since the FISA court dealings are secret.
More here
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here
