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Apple Helps FBI Track Down Floyd Protester Accused of Firebombing Cop Cars

35 points by Bostonian 6y ago

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
bzb5 6y ago
> The case shows how Apple is willing to help even where the context of the crime is controversial, namely the Black Lives Matter protests. Yeah we should give this guy a free pass because these protests are very legitimate. Really what’s happened to journalism these days? Is everything an opinion piece?
- seibelj 6y ago
  I agree, if I firebomb my neighbor’s house it doesn’t matter if I did it in the name of racism, climate change, etc. It’s still a firebomb.
  - OldHand2018 6y ago
    It's pretty unlikely that Joe Random FBI agent had lunch with Tim Cook, told him the entire backstory, and then said "will you send me his data?", to which Tim Cook said "sure thing." It's far more likely that there was no context involved here at all. Someone at Apple Legal gets an email/fax/in-person visit with a properly-signed warrant or subpoena. They review it and say "yep, we have to comply" and then produce the data. There's no "asking" involved here.
maxharris 6y ago
I read 538 daily. The violence that "protester" engaged in is directly contributing to Trump's re-election prospects, to the detriment of us all. Violence is not the answer.
- gnusty_gnurc 6y ago
  Unfortunately the genie is out of the bottle - when people are convinced of the overwhelming importance of a higher cause, they find little problem with resorting to violence and evil. Watch The Baader Meinhof Complex if you want a historical example.
  - mamon 6y ago
    Exactly, "the overwhelming importance of a higher cause" is how terrorists are made.
  - tolbish 6y ago
    Your conclusion doesn't make sense. There are many people who do good things because they are convinced of a higher cause. People go into medicine, or help at a charity, or go into law for a higher cause all the time.
    - gnusty_gnurc 6y ago
      The morally reprehensible stuff is justified by their perceived higher moral cause. It's powerful, dangerous stuff that works as motivation for good and bad.
- m0zg 6y ago
  > is directly contributing to Trump's re-election prospects Yes. As does the nomination of a 77 year old candidate with visible signs of dementia, and his choice of the least likeable primary candidate as his VP based solely on her gender and skin color. > to the detriment of us all Trump is the best thing that happened to the United States in the last 30 years. You just don't see it yet. His second term will fix that.
- JuliusPullo 6y ago
  That "protester" is involved with a cause that preaches armed conflict and the destruction of the US of A. A bunch of jerks like him are being encouraged and protected by powerful politicians who hold the same ideas. Maybe it's past the time we wise up and start evaluating where the detriment of all of us really is.
branon 6y ago
Wonder what Apple's rationale is for acquiescing to requests for iCloud data while staunchly refusing to unlock physical devices. Could it simply be the idea that data stored on iCloud is Apple's property and not yours, while a physical device is treated the other way around?
- matthewdgreen 6y ago
  Refusing to unlock physical devices is good publicity, since it helps with Apple's image as a privacy company. Cooperating with law enforcement to hand over iCloud backups means they don't pay much of a price for that publicity. I'm sure Apple justifies this around their iCloud user agreements and the fact that third-party stored data doesn't deserve as much protection, but: Android has deployed end-to-end encrypted backup based on a user-controlled PIN [1] and Apple has explicitly refused to do this despite having the tech in place [3], allegedly at the behest of the FBI [2]. Hard to look at this as anything but a deliberate business decision. [1] https://security.googleblog.com/2018/10/google-and-android-have-your-back-by.html https://security.googleblog.com/2018/10/google-and-android-h... [2] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi-icloud-exclusive/exclusive-apple-dropped-plan-for-encrypting-backups-after-fbi-complained-sources-idUSKBN1ZK1CT?il=0 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi-icloud-exclusiv... [3] https://www.blackhat.com/docs/us-16/materials/us-16-Krstic.pdf https://www.blackhat.com/docs/us-16/materials/us-16-Krstic.p...
  - valuearb 6y ago
    Apple has already paid a far higher price than Google ever has for protecting their customers security.
    - matthewdgreen 6y ago
      My (small) dog once had a fight with a squirrel. She paid a high price at the time, and so she learned not to do that anymore. I'm certainly ok with her decision, but I would suggest that -- unlike my dog -- Apple has end-users who really need them to keep fighting. They can't sit back and revel in past glories.
magma17 6y ago
That's impossible. Apple protects user's privacy.

35 points by Bostonian 6y ago

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

bzb5 6y ago

> The case shows how Apple is willing to help even where the context of the crime is controversial, namely the Black Lives Matter protests. Yeah we should give this guy a free pass because these protests are very legitimate. Really what’s happened to journalism these days? Is everything an opinion piece?

seibelj 6y ago
I agree, if I firebomb my neighbor’s house it doesn’t matter if I did it in the name of racism, climate change, etc. It’s still a firebomb.
- OldHand2018 6y ago
  It's pretty unlikely that Joe Random FBI agent had lunch with Tim Cook, told him the entire backstory, and then said "will you send me his data?", to which Tim Cook said "sure thing." It's far more likely that there was no context involved here at all. Someone at Apple Legal gets an email/fax/in-person visit with a properly-signed warrant or subpoena. They review it and say "yep, we have to comply" and then produce the data. There's no "asking" involved here.

maxharris 6y ago

I read 538 daily. The violence that "protester" engaged in is directly contributing to Trump's re-election prospects, to the detriment of us all. Violence is not the answer.

gnusty_gnurc 6y ago
Unfortunately the genie is out of the bottle - when people are convinced of the overwhelming importance of a higher cause, they find little problem with resorting to violence and evil. Watch The Baader Meinhof Complex if you want a historical example.
- mamon 6y ago
  Exactly, "the overwhelming importance of a higher cause" is how terrorists are made.
- tolbish 6y ago
  Your conclusion doesn't make sense. There are many people who do good things because they are convinced of a higher cause. People go into medicine, or help at a charity, or go into law for a higher cause all the time.
  - gnusty_gnurc 6y ago
    The morally reprehensible stuff is justified by their perceived higher moral cause. It's powerful, dangerous stuff that works as motivation for good and bad.
m0zg 6y ago
> is directly contributing to Trump's re-election prospects Yes. As does the nomination of a 77 year old candidate with visible signs of dementia, and his choice of the least likeable primary candidate as his VP based solely on her gender and skin color. > to the detriment of us all Trump is the best thing that happened to the United States in the last 30 years. You just don't see it yet. His second term will fix that.
JuliusPullo 6y ago
That "protester" is involved with a cause that preaches armed conflict and the destruction of the US of A. A bunch of jerks like him are being encouraged and protected by powerful politicians who hold the same ideas. Maybe it's past the time we wise up and start evaluating where the detriment of all of us really is.

branon 6y ago

Wonder what Apple's rationale is for acquiescing to requests for iCloud data while staunchly refusing to unlock physical devices. Could it simply be the idea that data stored on iCloud is Apple's property and not yours, while a physical device is treated the other way around?

matthewdgreen 6y ago
Refusing to unlock physical devices is good publicity, since it helps with Apple's image as a privacy company. Cooperating with law enforcement to hand over iCloud backups means they don't pay much of a price for that publicity. I'm sure Apple justifies this around their iCloud user agreements and the fact that third-party stored data doesn't deserve as much protection, but: Android has deployed end-to-end encrypted backup based on a user-controlled PIN [1] and Apple has explicitly refused to do this despite having the tech in place [3], allegedly at the behest of the FBI [2]. Hard to look at this as anything but a deliberate business decision. [1] https://security.googleblog.com/2018/10/google-and-android-have-your-back-by.html https://security.googleblog.com/2018/10/google-and-android-h... [2] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi-icloud-exclusive/exclusive-apple-dropped-plan-for-encrypting-backups-after-fbi-complained-sources-idUSKBN1ZK1CT?il=0 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi-icloud-exclusiv... [3] https://www.blackhat.com/docs/us-16/materials/us-16-Krstic.pdf https://www.blackhat.com/docs/us-16/materials/us-16-Krstic.p...
- valuearb 6y ago
  Apple has already paid a far higher price than Google ever has for protecting their customers security.
  - matthewdgreen 6y ago
    My (small) dog once had a fight with a squirrel. She paid a high price at the time, and so she learned not to do that anymore. I'm certainly ok with her decision, but I would suggest that -- unlike my dog -- Apple has end-users who really need them to keep fighting. They can't sit back and revel in past glories.

magma17 6y ago

That's impossible. Apple protects user's privacy.