Apple's Privacy Encryption
Under Government Assault
Ping!
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Posted on 10/25/2015 6:38:49 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Earlier this week, Apple stated that it would be nearly impossible for it to access the data on a passcode-locked iOS device running iOS 8 or later. The company also noted, however, that even if it were possible, it would not feel comfortable doing so as to not tarnish the trust it shares with its customers. The Department of Justice has now dismissed that argument, saying that Apple should be required to unlock encrypted data because iOS is “licensed, not sold” to customers (via DailyDot).
“Apple designed, manufactured, and sold [the phone] that is the subject of the search warrant,” the government told U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein. “But that is only the beginning of Apple’s relationship to the phone and to this matter. Apple wrote and owns the software that runs the phone, and this software is thwarting the execution of the warrant.”
The specific case in which the U.S. government needs an iPhone unlocked relates to executing a search warrant on a suspect indicted for possession of methamphetamine. Apple argues that decrypting a phone in one case would set a precedent that would only burden the company in the future, taxing its resources, employees, software, and equipment. “This burden,” Apple said, “increases as the number of government requests increases.”
The DOJ, of course, rejected this argument, saying that Apple shows no attempt to quantify the burden of which it speaks, nor does it show any evidence.
Apple also argues that aiding government requests for user data would hurt its reputation to the public due to the level to which sensitivity to digital privacy has risen. The company says that this harm to its reputation to could have a lasting economic impact. Earlier this week, Tim Cook spoke out against software backdoors, again voicing Apple’s support for privacy for its customers
As you would expect, the DOJ also rejects this argument, again saying Apple provided no concrete evidence to support its claims.
The government rejected this argument, saying that Apple offered no concrete evidence that reputational concerns constituted an “undue burden” as defined by law.
Apple hasn’t already given the backdoor key to 0bama?
Did you HAVE to use the terms “Obama” and “back door” in the same sentence?
GFY G-Man....
Don't make us pull this van over, DOJ. The adults are getting sick of your backseat whining.
They gave up their right when they took the “investment”, by the givernment, under the 1996 Telecom Act.
This is sounding a lot like Apple trying desperately to avoid admitting that they’ve added their own secret backdoors and they don’t want their users to know.
If Apple had been using seeing encryption, as they should have been, they’d just have said that they were unable to recover the data.
Looks like Apple cannot even break their own encryption.
Well get the NSA to give it a try. ;-)
How funny. Apple users think the DOJ should be far more open when WE THE PEOPLE ask for information.
The question is how many companies have given back doors to Obama?
I guess they aren’t interested in the data on my Samsung flip phone—LOL!
I guess they aren’t interested in the data on my Samsung flip phone—LOL!
There isn’t one.
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Play the audio of R Lee Ermey’s lines from Full Metal Jacket for them.
Why?
Oh, no reason.
They could stand to hear the DYSD line on repeat for hours every time they ask for back doors into my papers.
That’s exactly what Apple has been saying. They CAN’T unlock the phone’s data. There is no back door.
And Apple is also saying that if they ARE compelled to implement the back door, that’s about as secure as just leaving the data unlocked.
Difficult to believe that the BOFHs would have left one out.
That’s the point: phone security do good that you’d need the NSA’s acres of supercomputers to break it (if possible at all).
Apple has no, zero, nada, way in after iOS 7. That is the argument, the gummint wants in with iOS 7 (who is using that any more?)
iOS 8, 9, and all future versions are inaccessible to ANYONE including Apple.
Apple does not even have a backdoor that allows them to open their devices. . . so how can they give a non-existent back-door key to Obama? So, the answer to your question is NO. In fact, The Hacker Team, the company which sells the tools to break into mobile devices to the NSA, CIA, FBI, MI6, KGB, the Sureté, and all the other clandestine and other police forces around the world has admitted that although they do have the means to crack into every mobile device in the world, including jailbroken iOS devices, they DO NOT have the means to break into the un-jailbroken iOS 8 or later devices such as iPhones, iPads, or iPod touches. They are offering a $1 million bounty to anyone who can provide a hack that can provide a means to do it. So far, no one has come forward with that hack.
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