“While Apple fights the demands of the FBI over encrypted iPhone data, the companies that help users communicate privately between such devices are working hard to dramatically increase their methods of security,” Jeremy Kahn reports for Bloomberg.
“Wire, a messaging app backed by Skype co-founder Janus Friis, is the latest to add end-to-end encryption and secure video communication to its service, the company announced today, as it tries to gain traction against rival communications platforms,” Kahn reports. “The service, which rolled out in December 2014, has tried to distinguish itself with a sleek, uncluttered design and its ability to operate on any device, desktop to mobile, and across all major operating systems.”
“Wire seems in many ways to be following a similar marketing playbook to that used by Telegram, which has grown rapidly since its debut in 2013,” Kahn reports. “Telegram touts its encryption, appealing to users increasingly concerned about government surveillance.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: For every action, there is an opposite and not necessarily equal reaction.
The overreaching U.S. government may cause more encryption, not less, with its attacks on Apple.
SEE ALSO:
Obama Lists the ‘Tech Leaders’ Involved in new U.S. Cybersecurity Initiative and Purposely Snubs Apple – March 10, 2016
Obama Lists the ‘Tech Leaders’ Involved in new U.S. Cybersecurity Initiative and Purposely Snubs Apple – March 10, 2016
Snowden: U.S. government’s claim it can’t unlock San Bernardino iPhone is ‘bullshit’ – March 10, 2016
Apple’s Eddy Cue: Next the government will want to turn on your iPhone’s camera or microphone – March 10, 2016
FBI Director James Comey’s war on Apple and privacy is becoming a political problem for Obama and the Democrats – March 9, 2016
How Apple’s clarion call united the entire tech industry against U.S. government overreach – March 8, 2016
Apple CEO Cook decried Obama’s ‘lack of leadership’ on encryption during a closed-door meeting last month – February 29, 2016
Obama administration set to expand sharing of data that N.S.A. intercepts – February 28, 2016
Apple’s fight with U.S. could speed development of devices impervious to government intrusion – February 24, 2016
Petition asks Obama administration to stop demanding Apple create iPhone backdoor – February 19, 2016
Obama administration claims FBI is not asking Apple for a ‘backdoor’ to the iPhone – February 18, 2016
Obama administration wants access to smartphones – December 15, 2015
Obama administration war against Apple just got uglier – July 31, 2015
Obama’s secret attempt to ban cellphone unlocking, while claiming to support it – November 19, 2013
This is all backfiring on the Feds. They shouldn’t have tried to muscle companies with clout. Be nice and respectful next time.
The stupid aspect of this is that anybody who gave a moment’s thought to the implications of the FBI adopting this draconian attitude would have immediately realised that third party encryption techniques would be hardened and demand would increase. Furthermore, the most sought after encryption solutions are going to be those from outside of the US, because any encryption technique originating in the US will be presumed to have a back door.
History shows that whenever one side develops any sort of advantageous capability, the other side develops a counter measure and then the cycle keeps repeating.
Eventually, most governments around the world will simply make all encryption (and its use) illegal. After that happens, only outlaws will have encryption.
Wait — why does that last statement sound kind of familiar?
i think we should all learn navajo.
You would think that our government would want secure systems so they could keep their own data safe. They were letting Barack use a blackberry which all data went through servers at Blackberry in Canada and you know that was not secure. What they are saying is that Apple is so secure they can’t break into it –
I love my Apple products
Funny thing is I was going to quote Newton but realised MDN already had.
The FBI have absolutely picked the wrong people to fuck with.
Re-reading MDNs Newton quote, I actually disagree with it.
The reaction is equal and opposite, surely it can be nothing else? Isn’t your take similar to when a cretin says “I’m going to give 110%!”
It might be the case if we were talking physics, but we’re not.
People tend to go nonlinear if they’re pushed too far, too hard. The reaction can end up being very unequal.
It’s like something out of “Revenge of the Nerds”. The bullies pick on techies in HS. Then the nerds build successful tech companies and the bullies go to work for enforcement. Now the bullies want to take everybody’s right to privacy away and the nerds are trying to save freedom by encrypting their products even further.
The next scene is the nerds discover a comet about to rake the planet. They build spaceships to escape, but the bullies find out and try to steal these engineering marvels. The nerds outsmart the bullies by broadcasting The Kardashians on every network. This mesmerizes the bullies and the nerds escape the apocolyptic fate of the planet.
A couple thousand years later the nerds return to Earth and discover the survivors have digressed into playing with sticks and hoops.
As you might know there has been lot of criminal cases about Chinese tricking Hong Kong people deposit money to fake bank accounts by phone or using WeChat to do the same.
One friend of mine who’s landlord works for HK police working on those cases said the criminals are quite clever. It really doesn’t matter if police gets into their phones, all the real info is separately encrypted by apps. They are also using memory cards (like iDiskk) that hooks directly to iPhone.
Police likes iPhones because the stolen ones are practically useless, so people actually return them for rewards. The way police sees is, weaker encryption (back door) might mean that the criminals will get to put in their own encryption or cause problems for law enforcement through the back door. Never underestimate what Chinese and Russian hackers can do.
The next step for US G is to pass laws preventing any App to be posted to the App Store that includes encryption.
Then, the only secure method of communication is the black market messenger with full encryption that can only be installed on an android device made and sold in China.
Great move US G.
Encryption is here.
Encryption is free.
Encryption is here to stay.
Encryption is every US citizen’s right.
The FBI is WRONG.