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>When Apple refused to budge there was no alternative but to change course, said a senior government source. Shutting down every Apple office in the EU seems l

>When Apple refused to budge there was no alternative but to change course, said a senior government source. Shutting down every Apple office in the EU seems like a pretty good idea, oh and confiscating all Apple products, designs and patents..... Look, let's be positive and assume that the reason Germany backed down is because actually Apple's approach is better and they were convined by the explanations of why a centralised approach is wrong. Becuase the other explanation - that European countries are scared of Apple doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

gsnedders 7y ago
I think you're vastly overestimating Apple's influence here. While certainly losing out on the quarter of the smartphone market that Apple holds, having no app on iOS is likely a smaller issue than how to incentivise people to install the app in the first place.
mstolpm 7y ago
There was a big backlash in the last days in Germany over the intended central server solution favored before. More than 300 experts and groups warned about privacy implications. It seems mentioning Apple in this regard is more used to not completely lose the face for the German government and the Helmholtz Institute that favored and developed the centralized version over the decentralized one. Please don't fall victim and paint Apple & Google as the bad boys here. It would be a horrible idea to force them by governments to implement a centralized protocol.
Avamander 7y ago
Nah, a good protocol with strong privacy is needed before any implementations are allowed. This must be one of the few times I'm glad Apple is so restrictive, the current COVID-19 trackers have been horrendous: https://twitter.com/xssfox/status/1251118830962663424 https://twitter.com/xssfox/status/1251118830962663424
InTheArena 7y ago
Germany’s historical experience with centralized databases (using IBM tech) means that there are very good reasons to be skeptical of a centralized approach that could conceivably allow a government to spy on or classify the population of a whole country or even A continent. Silicon Valley is a useful boogeyman, in part because they have done some things on the negative side of the evil ledger. Historically governments dwarf private companies in the amount of damage and misuse they Can unleash — with a few notable exceptions where they almost reach the scale of what tyrannical or incompetent governments can wrought.
- loeg 7y ago
  For folks missing the historical reference, IBM provided machines and support to the Nazis to "census" Jews.

gsnedders 7y ago

I think you're vastly overestimating Apple's influence here. While certainly losing out on the quarter of the smartphone market that Apple holds, having no app on iOS is likely a smaller issue than how to incentivise people to install the app in the first place.

mstolpm 7y ago

There was a big backlash in the last days in Germany over the intended central server solution favored before. More than 300 experts and groups warned about privacy implications. It seems mentioning Apple in this regard is more used to not completely lose the face for the German government and the Helmholtz Institute that favored and developed the centralized version over the decentralized one. Please don't fall victim and paint Apple & Google as the bad boys here. It would be a horrible idea to force them by governments to implement a centralized protocol.

Avamander 7y ago

Nah, a good protocol with strong privacy is needed before any implementations are allowed. This must be one of the few times I'm glad Apple is so restrictive, the current COVID-19 trackers have been horrendous: https://twitter.com/xssfox/status/1251118830962663424 https://twitter.com/xssfox/status/1251118830962663424

InTheArena 7y ago

Germany’s historical experience with centralized databases (using IBM tech) means that there are very good reasons to be skeptical of a centralized approach that could conceivably allow a government to spy on or classify the population of a whole country or even A continent. Silicon Valley is a useful boogeyman, in part because they have done some things on the negative side of the evil ledger. Historically governments dwarf private companies in the amount of damage and misuse they Can unleash — with a few notable exceptions where they almost reach the scale of what tyrannical or incompetent governments can wrought.

loeg 7y ago
For folks missing the historical reference, IBM provided machines and support to the Nazis to "census" Jews.