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Because the fact that it can't be unlocked makes me reasonably reassured that I can trust the software running on it comes from the vendor of the device It's t
by mixdup 2y ago
Because the fact that it can't be unlocked makes me reasonably reassured that I can trust the software running on it comes from the vendor of the device
It's the same reason I don't want "the good guys" to have decryption keys to my messaging service, because even if I did trust the FBI, the fact that there is a backdoor at all means it could be exploited by someone I don't trust
Again, if you don't want to use a device that has a locked bootloader, don't buy it. I fail to see how this business model should be legally foreclosed upon. You'll always have the option to buy a device that can be unlocked, someone will always sell such a device. But if you can't lock them, then I can't buy one even if I want to
- Magnusmaster 2y agoPhones with unlockable bootloaders aren't going to be sold for much longer just like dumb TVs aren't sold anymore. There's just too much profit to be earned by corporations locking devices, plus banks and governments want to lock down phones. And once they lock down phones they'll go for desktops as well.
- mixdup 2y agoDumb TVs are still sold, they just cost more. Same will probably be true for the low volume, no-stolen-data (or no-apple-tax) unlockable phones, too
- Magnusmaster 2y agoMaybe in the US, but not in my country. I tried looking for "signage displays" but all I could find was Samsung professional monitors that still had the smart stuff
- stavros 2y agoYeah, this is just a fundamental misunderstanding of how bootloader unlocking works. The people repeating this argument seem to think that their bootloader will unlock if they look at their phone wrong, when in reality the bootloader unlock process can be made such that the user must consent. If some malware can bypass that, then it could bypass your bootloader in the first place.
- mixdup 2y agoIt's not just about malware you might accidentally download, it's also about adversaries that may have physical access to your device and can provide that consent No matter how convoluted you make the rube goldberg machine to bypass the cryptography, if there's a way to bypass it it will be bypassed
- do_not_redeem 2y agoEvery device I've ever unlocked warns you on boot that it's unlocked. So if that's your threat model, just reboot the phone after the maid hands it back to you and see if you get a scary warning.
- iggldiggl 2y agoAt least historically, that wasn't always fool-proof :-) – I know at least some Motorolas from around ten years ago where the bootloader warning was simply an alternative boot animation, so you could suppress that message by overwriting the "bootloader unlocked" animation with the regular boot animation.
- stavros 2y agoPlease detail this attack vector where someone can compromise a phone with an unlockable bootloader but not one you can't unlock.
- mixdup 2y agoThat's not what I claimed?
- stavros 2y ago> it's also about adversaries that may have physical access to your device and can provide that consent. No matter how convoluted you make the rube goldberg machine to bypass the cryptography, if there's a way to bypass it it will be bypassed You claimed that an adversary with physical access to your device can compromise your unlockable phone, but presumably this won't happen with a phone that can't be unlocked. Is that not what you claim? If so, please detail how.