4 ms·

You think Apple should have lied to the public?

daxfohl 11y ago
I assume he means this would be the best strategy (if kept under wraps) for Apple's reputation; the public's interests notwithstanding. Regardless, grandstanding twice just looks foolish for everyone except the FBI.
- mcphage 11y ago
  You think this case makes the FBI look good? It took a month long media circus, made Apple look like the good guys, pissing off most of the tech community—all to unlock a single phone that likely has no useful data on it. If they had wanted to advertise their ability to unlock iPhones, they would have just done it, and done a press conference about how they unlocked it and got lots of good information. Instead, they look like they were desperately scrambling, before some "Canadian girlfriend" showed up at the last minute and saved them from looked even more foolish. Sure, from Apple's side, it would have been better had it gone to court and been established that the government isn't allowed to do what it was trying to do, but... I don't see the FBI trying the same tactic again, and, here's the kicker—if they can't establish the authority to force Apple to unlock phones on non-secure enclave machines, then when they need a secure enclave equipped phone unlocked, it's going to be a lot harder to use the All Writs Act to force Apple's hand.
  - daxfohl 11y ago
    I'm specifically talking about Apple asking for the hacking info. The FBI doesn't look anything (yet) because it's just the recipient of the request and AFAIK hasn't yet responded.
  - incepted 11y ago
    > You think this case makes the FBI look good? Right now, I'd say they are looking pretty good: they hacked into the phone of a terrorist without breaking any laws.
    - mcphage 11y ago
      If only it was really about just that phone, and didn't create a month long media circus power grab only to end it with "uh.... nevermind."
      - daxfohl 11y ago
        Of course it makes them look bad to anyone who thinks their looking good looks bad.
        mcphage 11y ago
        If they had just hacked into the phone, and said "hey we hacked into the terrorist's phone", I think they'd look pretty good. They'd be competent, and did what they needed to do. But that's not what they were going for; they over-reached, and then weakly backed off. That's what doesn't look good.
akerro 11y ago
Why would they do it? Right?

I assume he means this would be the best strategy (if kept under wraps) for Apple's reputation; the public's interests notwithstanding. Regardless, grandstanding twice just looks foolish for everyone except the FBI.

mcphage 11y ago
You think this case makes the FBI look good? It took a month long media circus, made Apple look like the good guys, pissing off most of the tech community—all to unlock a single phone that likely has no useful data on it. If they had wanted to advertise their ability to unlock iPhones, they would have just done it, and done a press conference about how they unlocked it and got lots of good information. Instead, they look like they were desperately scrambling, before some "Canadian girlfriend" showed up at the last minute and saved them from looked even more foolish. Sure, from Apple's side, it would have been better had it gone to court and been established that the government isn't allowed to do what it was trying to do, but... I don't see the FBI trying the same tactic again, and, here's the kicker—if they can't establish the authority to force Apple to unlock phones on non-secure enclave machines, then when they need a secure enclave equipped phone unlocked, it's going to be a lot harder to use the All Writs Act to force Apple's hand.
- daxfohl 11y ago
  I'm specifically talking about Apple asking for the hacking info. The FBI doesn't look anything (yet) because it's just the recipient of the request and AFAIK hasn't yet responded.
- incepted 11y ago
  > You think this case makes the FBI look good? Right now, I'd say they are looking pretty good: they hacked into the phone of a terrorist without breaking any laws.
  - mcphage 11y ago
    If only it was really about just that phone, and didn't create a month long media circus power grab only to end it with "uh.... nevermind."
    - daxfohl 11y ago
      Of course it makes them look bad to anyone who thinks their looking good looks bad.
      - mcphage 11y ago
        If they had just hacked into the phone, and said "hey we hacked into the terrorist's phone", I think they'd look pretty good. They'd be competent, and did what they needed to do. But that's not what they were going for; they over-reached, and then weakly backed off. That's what doesn't look good.

akerro 11y ago

Why would they do it? Right?