“If you want to see what a world with built-in backdoors looks like should congress rule on the side of the FBI, look no further than Microsoft,” Bryan Clark writes for TNW.
“One of the key points to Apple’s argument — and what made the hearing necessary in the first place — is its inability to decrypt the iPhone. Knowing this, the FBI instead sought Apple’s help in modifying iOS to disable a feature that would wipe the phone after 10 failed password attempts,” Clark writes. “But, what if Apple did have a key for every encrypted iPhone? The conflict would basically hinge on Apple’s willingness to turn said key over to the authorities. This is a battle Apple could fight, but probably wouldn’t win.”
“If the case would have involved a laptop, instead of a smartphone, and Microsoft, instead of Apple, the argument would be irrelevant,” Clark writes. “According to Matthew Green, professor of cryptography at Johns Hopkins University, in a comment to The Intercept: ‘Your [Windows PC] is now only as secure as that database of keys held by Microsoft, which means it may be vulnerable to hackers, foreign governments, and people who can extort Microsoft employees.'”
“That’s the problem with backdoors; there’s no way to ensure that they only work for the intended user,” Clark writes. “At some point in the near-future, it’s likely that Microsoft will be forced to comply with a request that takes full advantage of this security hole.”
Read more in the full article – highly recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: Yet another reason, as if we needed any more, not to use Microsoft garbage and to fight government overreach!
SEE ALSO:
Former CIA Director: FBI wants to dictate iPhone’s operating system – March 11, 2016
Why the government is citing Aaron Burr in its fight against Apple – March 11, 2016
U.S. government takes cheap shots at Apple – March 11, 2016
U.S. government rebuts Apple claim on password reset in iPhone case – March 11, 2016
Apple: U.S. Justice Dept attempting to ‘smear’ company by taking a ‘cheap shot’ – March 10, 2016
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Apple is such an easy target. Of all the companies in the world that make smartphones and the feds had to target Apple as the fall guy. Apple shareholders might as well give up on Apple because there are too many opposing factions wanting to take Apple down. Apple isn’t paying off the right people it needs for immunity.
Listen to yourself. Because AAPL isn’t enriching you as you anticipated, you are constantly berating the company for its social positioning, strategic decisions, and public relations. And now they fail because they won’t pay “protection money” to gangsters? Just trade in your stock for PG and give us a break.
This discussion is backwards. The government should not have any secrets from the people, even war secrets. Without full government disclosure “democracy” is a deadly sham.
The secrets of the Islamic militants, terrorists, Noth Korean spies, Russian enemies, are NOT “government” secrets.
Gee … finally someone who has common sense!
No wonder the world is upside down!
Why? Are you willing to SSN with us? Why not? The SSN is a government-issued ID that you think should be shared, right? It is an extremist view to think any government can operate without secrets.
Most people don’t even use all he public data that the government makes available to you today. The ignorance spouted every day on the internet and in public discourse shows that the public doesn’t actually want facts, they want to be coddled with fiction. Citizens find C-SPAN too boring, so they fill their waking hours with tabloid trash and reality TV. The history channel shows fluff instead of investigation of important real events. That’s why the policial parties exist in the first place — to entertain, stoke emotions, and spin data to suit the biases of people who won’t think for themselves. Look at Trump supporters: they don’t even ask for a policy. They heard the vague promise of being “great again” and they stopped thinking after that.
Everyone takes for granted all that the federal government does for you. If you want the feds to stop keeping secrets, you might as well just kiss civilization goodbye. The state department or the military — which represents a huge portion of the US government — can’t just hand over blueprints to all the weapons in the arsenal. Reform, not suicide, is necessary.
Most federal agencies are as transparent as can be. In many cases, it is the people who have demanded that secrets be managed by elected officials — the USPS maintains confidentiality of your correspondence. Medicare protects patient records. If you don’t like how the government works, contact your representative or vote in a new one that isn’t beholden to corporate interests.
You know what organizations keep the most secrets? Corporations. Including Apple. Organizations that can destroy economies, like the banks nearly did in 2008, you would think should be accountable and transparent. But no, the brainwashed public places all hate on the big bad government when it is in fact the crony capitalism from several bad-acting corporations that undermine your freedom and prosperity.
True. Government is corrupted by corporate lobbyists. The only way the government will be responsible to the needs of its people and with taxpayer money is if voters kick out the corrupt corporate puppets that sit in Congress.
It sounds so good…just kick out the corporate puppets that sit in Congress. So I take it that this year you will not vote for one candidate that has accepted contributions from corporations, or PAC support?
You can kick the current ones out but they only get replaced by another batch of politicians who need money to campaign, and accept all types of help from lobbyists, PACs, etc. The Republicans on the Supreme Court made it even worse with their Citizens United ruling, which basically unleashed unlimited corporate money into politics.
If you want reform you have to limit the flow of money to the candidates. But those controls have been eroding over time thanks to the GOP.
Sure, it’s just a Republican issue isn’t it? Boy, glad the Democrats are as pure as snow on this issue. Just have Democrats in and all of our problems are solved.
Personally, I voting for NO INCUMBENTS, national, state, or local. Get a new bunch of crooks into office. They can’t be any worse than what we have in office now.
Do we all remember when:
Microsoft build all the Blu-Ray customer surveillance software INTO Windows?
Steve Jobs didn’t do that. He stated that Blu-Ray is ‘a bag of hurt’ and knew that SELLING OUT like Microsoft did was NOT what Apple’s customers wanted. He was proven CORRECT.
Want even MORE ‘bag of hurt’ surveillance of all of us? Then you’ll <3 LOVE the TPP and TTIP trade treaties. They are FULL of ‘default criminal’ actions against We The People before any crime is committed. Fsck that.
I wonder what this whole process says about Blackberry encryption, since that is the device that the US Govt typically relies on to keep its own communication safe. Is there an encryption backdoor built into their process somehow? Would be interesting if some know with knowledge could discuss. If a bad guy were using a Blackberry, would Uncle Sam be upset or would they be handed secure information instead?