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Disclaimer: kind of glad that Apple's making noise, but kind of frustrated that it's about this specific case. The answers to these questions has some pretty d
by rtpg 11y ago
Disclaimer: kind of glad that Apple's making noise, but kind of frustrated that it's about this specific case.
The answers to these questions has some pretty deceitful phrasing....
>First, the government would have us write an entirely new operating system for their use.
Only "new" in the sense of not being exactly the same as the current one. Implies much more work than we know to be the case.
>Law enforcement agents around the country have already said they have hundreds of iPhones they want Apple to unlock if the FBI wins this case. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks.
The master key analogy falls apart because the order specifically calls for making a version that only works on a targeted phone. At best it would be the equivalent of Apple being asked to make many individual keys. Unless, of course, they want to make a version of iOS with the exploit that would work on any iPhone.
> Of course, Apple would do our best to protect that key, but in a world where all of our data is under constant threat, it would be relentlessly attacked by hackers and cybercriminals. A
This is implying hackers could do anything with a version of iOS that is made to only work on one phone. You could absolutely release the update file that the FBI is asking for and have no risk of compromising anything because (again) this is for a specific phone.
>Has Apple unlocked iPhones for law enforcement in the past?
>No.
(The answer then proceeds to say "Actually yes we have, just not past iOS 8)
>For devices running the iPhone operating systems prior to iOS 8 and under a lawful court order, we have extracted data from an iPhone.
>We feel strongly that if we were to do what the government has asked of us — to create a backdoor to our products
Using a backdoor already existing in your product...
>One of the strongest suggestions we offered was that they pair the phone to a previously joined network, which would allow them to back up the phone and get the data they are now asking for. Unfortunately, we learned that while the attacker’s iPhone was in FBI custody the Apple ID password associated with the phone was changed. Changing this password meant the phone could no longer access iCloud services.
Seriously FBI?
I know this letter isn't for me. I want to be on Apple's side based off of how they present the case. But if you look at the court order, off of the fact that the FBI got a warrant for a specific device, off of the fact that they're asking for an unlock of a specific phone, off of the fact that its technically feasible to do this without compromising all iPhones thanks to digital signage...
My impression is that Apple's position is that its technically infeasible to make this exploit, which isn't really true.
There's the other "but with this, we'll have to do a bunch of phones" argument... is there a term for being overburdened with writs from the court? What's the constitutional protection against that? That feels like the only valid defence at this point for them (from a legal standpoint)
- corin_ 11y ago> My impression is that Apple's position is that its technically infeasible to make this exploit, which isn't really true. They've been perfectly clear that they could do it, and then explained why they feel it would be wrong to do so, nothing to do with it being technically unfeasible.
- delinka 11y agoUltimately the point is that if we allow the government to compel companies to perform work, where's the line? If the AWA is upheld by all the courts, how do we prevent the government from just dictating to companies continuously the work they must perform on the government's behalf?
- quinnchr 11y agoI'm struggling to a think of a subpoena that wouldn't involve being compelled to work. Subpoenaing unencrypted customer data still requires work on the company's part. When does a subpoena become a burdensome amount of work? Furthermore the government already forces companies to preform work. For example, paying taxes, providing insurance for employees, complying with industry regulations.
- delinka 11y ago"When does a subpoena become a burdensome amount of work?" This is certainly an important part of the question. I don't have a well-formed opinion on how to define limits. "Furthermore the government already forces companies to preform work. For example, paying taxes, providing insurance for employees, complying with industry regulations." These are well-defined items with known elements about how to implement them. At this point, everyone knows that when they start a company, taxes, insurance, and regulations are part of the game. But when law enforcement shows up making random demands, or convinces a court to issue an order for random demands, there must be limits. If there are no limits, there will be no end to random government requests.
- vectorjohn 11y agoThe government already does compel companies to perform work. Every other thing Apple already did to comply with the order was work. You think it was free? There are myriad examples of companies being compelled to do work to help an investigation. If Apple could make the case that the change would be so burdensome that they can't feasibly do it without harming the company, they have a case to resist. I don't believe it, but they have to make that case.