5 ms·

Dear criminals, Please use iMessage more, we promise we definitely can't read your messages. Lots of love, Feds xxx

by nodata 14y ago

Ntrails 14y ago
There's no advantage to them in people using iMessage. They can easily get your text messages already. You could go high-tinfoil and claim they would rather people iMessaged than using whatsapp or some other free message service? But anyone thinking about avoiding federal intercepts would use neither of these things rendering this piece worthless. So what do they actually have to gain? It seems more likely to me that this is a real problem than a PR piece.
- TheAnimus 14y ago
  >It seems more likely to me that this is a real problem than a PR piece. You don't mean that a reputable tech news site would ever use 'Apple' and 'iSomething' in a headline for SEO bate?
- declan 14y ago
  If I were the feds and I had an intimate relationship with AT&T (hi, warrantless wiretaps!) and VWZ and other wireless providers stretching back decades, and all of these other wireless providers sent SMS content in the clear, I'd very much want everyone in the world to continue to use SMS. Encrypting text messages with iMessage or a similar service simply makes my life more difficult. And remember Apple has been lobbying against a law that would extend CALEA to iMessage.
- mgurlitz 14y ago
  This could encourage people to use an encrypted messaging program that is closed-source, has a large attack surface, and that might not be patched if a flaw is found. So they do have some incentive to get people to use iMessage over something like Cryptocat.
  - cinquemb 14y ago
    Cryptocat is coming out with a mobile app soon! But they are funded by a NGO which is funded by the DOD :P
  - declan 14y ago
    The choice for 99.99% of Apple users is not iMessage vs. Cryptocat. It's iMessage vs. unencrypted SMS transmitted and in some cases retained by carriers with close relationships with FedGov.
- OGinparadise 14y ago
  Yeah but everyone and their mom knows or should know that regular txt messages are easily taken. Maybe the street corner kids use the plain messages but the big fish might slip and use a crackable method. DEA could be waiting
desireco42 14y ago
My thoughts exactly :)
niels_olson 14y ago
I think that may why the memo was marked law-enforcement-sensitive and wasn't supposed to get out. Or the whole thing is a CIA/FBI ruse to encourage people to use a service they have a secret door into, i.e., see Nrsolis's comments, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5492994 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5492994.
marcosdumay 14y ago
The message is exaclty that. If they actualy can or can not read the messages is left as an excercize to the reader. What I can say with certainty is that the communications are not as secure as the article make them look like. Apple can still get you, and they can still get Apple...

Dear criminals, Please use iMessage more, we promise we definitely can't read your messages. Lots of love, Feds xxx

by nodata 14y ago

Dear criminals, Please use iMessage more, we promise we definitely can't read your messages. Lots of love, Feds xxx

There's no advantage to them in people using iMessage. They can easily get your text messages already. You could go high-tinfoil and claim they would rather people iMessaged than using whatsapp or some other free message service? But anyone thinking about avoiding federal intercepts would use neither of these things rendering this piece worthless. So what do they actually have to gain? It seems more likely to me that this is a real problem than a PR piece.

TheAnimus 14y ago
>It seems more likely to me that this is a real problem than a PR piece. You don't mean that a reputable tech news site would ever use 'Apple' and 'iSomething' in a headline for SEO bate?
declan 14y ago
If I were the feds and I had an intimate relationship with AT&T (hi, warrantless wiretaps!) and VWZ and other wireless providers stretching back decades, and all of these other wireless providers sent SMS content in the clear, I'd very much want everyone in the world to continue to use SMS. Encrypting text messages with iMessage or a similar service simply makes my life more difficult. And remember Apple has been lobbying against a law that would extend CALEA to iMessage.
mgurlitz 14y ago
This could encourage people to use an encrypted messaging program that is closed-source, has a large attack surface, and that might not be patched if a flaw is found. So they do have some incentive to get people to use iMessage over something like Cryptocat.
- cinquemb 14y ago
  Cryptocat is coming out with a mobile app soon! But they are funded by a NGO which is funded by the DOD :P
- declan 14y ago
  The choice for 99.99% of Apple users is not iMessage vs. Cryptocat. It's iMessage vs. unencrypted SMS transmitted and in some cases retained by carriers with close relationships with FedGov.
OGinparadise 14y ago
Yeah but everyone and their mom knows or should know that regular txt messages are easily taken. Maybe the street corner kids use the plain messages but the big fish might slip and use a crackable method. DEA could be waiting

desireco42 14y ago

My thoughts exactly :)

niels_olson 14y ago

I think that may why the memo was marked law-enforcement-sensitive and wasn't supposed to get out. Or the whole thing is a CIA/FBI ruse to encourage people to use a service they have a secret door into, i.e., see Nrsolis's comments, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5492994 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5492994.

marcosdumay 14y ago

The message is exaclty that. If they actualy can or can not read the messages is left as an excercize to the reader. What I can say with certainty is that the communications are not as secure as the article make them look like. Apple can still get you, and they can still get Apple...