7 ms·

Same applies to cameras, microphones, touchscreen, screen, buttons, or really any other sensor or chip etc that is powered and can therefore have a sneaky trans

by ricw 3y ago

Same applies to cameras, microphones, touchscreen, screen, buttons, or really any other sensor or chip etc that is powered and can therefore have a sneaky transmitter inserted. I don’t want someone (nsa cough) being able to sneak in their own module to follow my every whereabouts. Yes please. Check every item for authenticity. That’s why I’m an Apple customer. I’d buy android if it weren’t the case.

fsh 3y ago
If the NSA wanted access to your phone, they would ask Apple to push a backdoored update. No need for a James Bond level evil maid attack.
- atraac 3y ago
  They don't need to ask for any backdoor, there are existing solutions already like Pegasus. It was recently used by Polish government ruling party to spy on opposition under the pretense of looking for 'Russian spies'. Considering our not-very-smart government managed to get it, I can bet people who are actually qualified can do much more already.
- Thorrez 3y ago
  Didn't the FBI ask Apple to do that already and Apple refused? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%E2%80%93FBI_encryption_dispute https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%E2%80%93FBI_encryption_d...
  - ChrisRR 3y ago
    Well those are the ones we hear about. I think there's a lot of state-level spying in many software and hardware devices, but of course we don't hear about it
    - Thorrez 3y ago
      Sure there's a lot of state-level spying. NSO Group et al. That doesn't mean Apple is complicit.
- mavhc 3y ago
  No need to ask, just get a job at Apple, same as every major company
PeterStuer 3y ago
NSA would not have to sneak in anything. They can just order Apple to do it and they would be prohibited from ever talking about it.
- flangola7 3y ago
  Do we have any evidence of that occurring practice? I've heard the theory but never seen the proof
  - PeterStuer 3y ago
    I think the US made it very clear what will happen to you if you provide proof. Better prepare for a Snowden life in the best case. If you are less lucky you might end up Assange.
    - flangola7 3y ago
      We're living in age where military base layouts are leaked by fitness trackers. Top secret battle maps leak onto Discord video game channels. Not even as an act of spying, just by accident or carelessness. I just cannot accept that any truly massive secrets could be kept sealed for long. It's the same reason the Area 51 conspiracies are bunk.
  - salawat 3y ago
    ...What part of Secret Compartmentalized Information don't you understand?
    - flangola7 3y ago
      Like the Ukraine battle maps that get posted to Discord?
  - friendzis 3y ago
    How do you expect evidence to be presented when even acknowledging existence of such possibility is highly illegal? Garry Webb suicided with two gunshot wounds to the head.
mr_tombuben 3y ago
NSA will order Apple to pair that part if they decide to swap it and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it. If instead of VIN-locking they just notified you a differenr part was swapped out, you could go get some part from a trustworthy third party and replace that potentially back-doored part yourself.
ClumsyPilot 3y ago
Imagining that a company that relies of US government for protection of it's IP and profits will protect you from US gobernment has to be the peak of naivite
ChrisRR 3y ago
As an electronic engineer I can't even begin to explain how difficult it would be electronically to include a "sneaky transmitter" in a single component It's way more likely that the NSA would say "hey apple, install this backdoor in your software but don't tell anyone about it"
FloatArtifact 3y ago
Why not unlock your phone into some sort of repair mode through an Apple account? Protects your integrity of the hardware but gives you the choice to repair.

by ricw 3y ago

fsh 3y ago

If the NSA wanted access to your phone, they would ask Apple to push a backdoored update. No need for a James Bond level evil maid attack.

atraac 3y ago
They don't need to ask for any backdoor, there are existing solutions already like Pegasus. It was recently used by Polish government ruling party to spy on opposition under the pretense of looking for 'Russian spies'. Considering our not-very-smart government managed to get it, I can bet people who are actually qualified can do much more already.
Thorrez 3y ago
Didn't the FBI ask Apple to do that already and Apple refused? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%E2%80%93FBI_encryption_dispute https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%E2%80%93FBI_encryption_d...
- ChrisRR 3y ago
  Well those are the ones we hear about. I think there's a lot of state-level spying in many software and hardware devices, but of course we don't hear about it
  - Thorrez 3y ago
    Sure there's a lot of state-level spying. NSO Group et al. That doesn't mean Apple is complicit.
mavhc 3y ago
No need to ask, just get a job at Apple, same as every major company

PeterStuer 3y ago

NSA would not have to sneak in anything. They can just order Apple to do it and they would be prohibited from ever talking about it.

flangola7 3y ago
Do we have any evidence of that occurring practice? I've heard the theory but never seen the proof
- PeterStuer 3y ago
  I think the US made it very clear what will happen to you if you provide proof. Better prepare for a Snowden life in the best case. If you are less lucky you might end up Assange.
  - flangola7 3y ago
    We're living in age where military base layouts are leaked by fitness trackers. Top secret battle maps leak onto Discord video game channels. Not even as an act of spying, just by accident or carelessness. I just cannot accept that any truly massive secrets could be kept sealed for long. It's the same reason the Area 51 conspiracies are bunk.
- salawat 3y ago
  ...What part of Secret Compartmentalized Information don't you understand?
  - flangola7 3y ago
    Like the Ukraine battle maps that get posted to Discord?
- friendzis 3y ago
  How do you expect evidence to be presented when even acknowledging existence of such possibility is highly illegal? Garry Webb suicided with two gunshot wounds to the head.

mr_tombuben 3y ago

NSA will order Apple to pair that part if they decide to swap it and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it. If instead of VIN-locking they just notified you a differenr part was swapped out, you could go get some part from a trustworthy third party and replace that potentially back-doored part yourself.

ClumsyPilot 3y ago

Imagining that a company that relies of US government for protection of it's IP and profits will protect you from US gobernment has to be the peak of naivite

ChrisRR 3y ago

As an electronic engineer I can't even begin to explain how difficult it would be electronically to include a "sneaky transmitter" in a single component It's way more likely that the NSA would say "hey apple, install this backdoor in your software but don't tell anyone about it"

FloatArtifact 3y ago

Why not unlock your phone into some sort of repair mode through an Apple account? Protects your integrity of the hardware but gives you the choice to repair.