Tim Cook: Apple Won't Create 'Backdoor' to Help FBI Access San Bernardino Shooter's iPhone

[tigress666]

Sorry Tim , I think you draw the wrong line. Supporting terrorism is just plain wrong. Any righteous person has nothing to hide from the government.

I know it's a pdf you have to download and it is long, but you (and everyone else who believes this BS argument) really needs to read this : http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=998565 (titled "'I've Got Nothing to Hide' and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy")

It's why yes, even if you have nothing to hide it is a bad idea to allow government to have free access to everything.

And it doesn't even cover the situation here that by creating a backdoor, you are also essentially giving the bad guys (people who would use your info to steal from you) a backdoor too. There is no way to just limit it to the government cause the bad guys will find it (you think they'll be nice and just let only the government have such a neat tool?).

 

[shiseiryu1]

This is a battle they will lose, proving someone committed a crime is more important.

There is already proof they committed a crime.

 

[philosopherdog]

Apple is making their mark on privacy and security. To allow back doors will doom American tech's dominance in the long run and zillions of jobs along with it. The government has lots of other instruments at its disposal. I'm sure Chinese users, for instance, are watching to see what happens here.

 

[DMVillain]

But a phone is not the same as a physical door that has a master key. Same way a phone is not similar to a car when that E-53 issue popped up. So let's stop making these silly comparisons.

Phone, car, house, whatever. It's all personal property housing private information.

 

[BvizioN]

You make a valid point.

No, he doesn't. Like someone else have mentioned before, his analogy would be valid only if authorities were given master key to get in whatever house they wanted and get whatever info they wanted and whenever they wanted without the owners of the house even knowing it.

 

[Abazigal]

I did not say lets stop making phones so what is the analogy here? FBI believes that they need access to just this phone. A judge grants that access by a warrant. Apple should help.

If as a results the FBI wanted a generic key (but thats not what the story nor Cook himself is saying) then there is a need for discussion between Apple and authorities. Cook can discuss this even with Obama if he feels a need.

Do you honestly believe it will stop at just this one phone?

 

[mw360]

When there's a case, as clear cut and dry as this, Apple should comply. This isn't some willy, nilly attempt to get into a regular Joe's phone. This was an act of terror and the phones belong to the people who carried it out. I can't agree with Apple defying it in this case. As an overall rule, I agree, there shouldn't be a back door. When it comes to specific instances of national security, like this, Apple need to help out.

This issue is how do you get into a one phone (which you support) without a back door (which you don't support)?

It's a tough question. I don't side with Apple on this. I don't side with anyone who comes down vehemently on one side or the other. This is a very difficult matter. An overly powerful government is a problem, but a powerless one is just as bad. I don't trusts governments, but I don't trust ordinary people either. Everyone will absue their power, and these new powers to communicate, and plot and move money in secret are very powerful.

 

[shiseiryu1]

Sorry Tim , I think you draw the wrong line. Supporting terrorism is just plain wrong. Any righteous person has nothing to hide from the government.

As far as I understood the FBI needs access to just this phone. I think Apple blew this for marketing reasons entirely out of proportion. If they (Apple) are able to access the data on that phone they should just help the FBI in a way that this is a one time only event. The FBI can deliver this phone to apple and they could have pulled the data off the phone in one of their secret labs and then hand back the phone and separately the data. No need to give the FBI a general key.

To quote the article:

Instead of attacking encryption maybe we should have more laws restricting the tools that the terrorists actually used to kill people: guns!

If we live in a country free enough to carry guns we should also be free from government spying and intrusion.

 

[anim8or]

If they cannot do it - fine. No need to pull this marketzing stunt

Its good to see you can be reasonable.

If you had read the previous articles, even only as far as on this site, or if you felt like venturing further on any other news service on the internet, then you would see that Apple has stated on many occasions that 'EVEN THEY CANNOT ACCESS THE DATA', such as the design of their security for iOS devices....!

The fact that they 'claim' to have designed the software so that not even THEY (Apple) can access the device is a great 'sales' pitch for the security of their devices but they have been stating this fact for years before this case presented itself so I would be inclined not to call it a marketing stunt.

 

[Thunderhawks]

It thought "error 53" is the backdoor.

 

[Yelmurc]

Glad to see Apple take up this fight, it doesn't seem like any of the other companies are willing to.

 

[Rogifan]

The general public that doesn't know any of the specifics is going to see chyron's like the one below and think Apple is on the side of terrorists. Apple better be prepared to go on a major PR offensive over this. Can't assume majority of the public agrees.

 

[marc55]

Everyone wants our nation to stay safe, but some are not willing to do what's necessary to keep it safe.

Come on Tim, and others, we are talking about the phone of a TERRORIST who killed our fellow Americans.

Sure it will let the genie out of the bottle, but that's another battle, but sometimes we need to give up a little to keep us safe.

Think about if they had killed one of your family members; you would be wondering why it happened and what could have been done to prevent it.

As far as my privacy goes, if the Government wants to listen to my conversations or read my email, have at it, but I doubt they want to invade the privacy of the average American, they know their priorities.

Let's let them keep our nation safe.

m

 

[Thunderhawks]

It thought "error 53" is the backdoor.

Hey FBI the pass code is 00:00.0.00.1970

 

[Jeremy1026]

Sorry Tim , I think you draw the wrong line. Supporting terrorism is just plain wrong. Any righteous person has nothing to hide from the government.

As far as I understood the FBI needs access to just this phone. I think Apple blew this for marketing reasons entirely out of proportion. If they (Apple) are able to access the data on that phone they should just help the FBI in a way that this is a one time only event. The FBI can deliver this phone to apple and they could have pulled the data off the phone in one of their secret labs and then hand back the phone and separately the data. No need to give the FBI a general key.

To quote the article:

That's just not how encryption works though. It's either secure or it isn't. It's a very binary system. Just because it's in the secret room doesn't mean the special build won't be made available by some nefarious means. That build would be worth quite a lot of money, and if someone with that money (ISIS?) offered a large sum for it, can you be 100% sure the engineers in the secret room wouldn't budge?

 

[rdlink]

It's time for the POTUS to use his bully pulpit to reign in his out of control justice department. For the last seven years he has rarely shied away from putting himself right in the fray, and making public statements of advocacy on numerous subjects that weren't really in his instant domain. The former professor of constitutional law needs to step up and publicly denounce the overreach of the DOJ.

What say you, Mr. Obama? Your country's constitution is under attack. Will you defend it?

 

[AbSoluTc]

Sorry Tim , I think you draw the wrong line. Supporting terrorism is just plain wrong. Any righteous person has nothing to hide from the government.

As far as I understood the FBI needs access to just this phone. I think Apple blew this for marketing reasons entirely out of proportion. If they (Apple) are able to access the data on that phone they should just help the FBI in a way that this is a one time only event. The FBI can deliver this phone to apple and they could have pulled the data off the phone in one of their secret labs and then hand back the phone and separately the data. No need to give the FBI a general key.

To quote the article:

That's exactly how it all starts. 1 phone, then 4, then 100, then why not all phones? Yeah, no. So if someone encrypts their hard drive (i.e. file vault) is it Apple's problem to decrypt it? No. Is it Dell, HP, Acer, Toshiba, etc's problem to decrypt? No.

I side and agree with Apple 100%.

 

[John Mcgregor]

Do you honestly believe it will stop at just this one phone?

Today it's this phone and tomorrow they will be making backups of phone if they think you are suspicious. In airports for example and when stopped by police.

 

[treyjustice]

Good! Who the heck would trust the US govt with this....

 

[H2SO4]

The guy is a knob. Let’s see how he feels if a relative of his can be helped by something like this. He should have kept his mouth shut instead of writing that useless essay. Which isn’t to say I agree or disagree with him.

The only thing Tim is right about at the moment is that this warrants further discussion.

 

[Waxhead138]

Good to hear! Regardless of the circumstances, it would be a very dangerous precedent to set.

Bingo. The short term damage is obvious....however what you said above is the long term, much more damaging part. This is not a habit we want to start.

 

[anim8or]

Think about if they had killed one of your family members; you would be wondering why it happened and what could have been done to prevent it.m

I will counter your 'if' with another hypothetic question....

What 'if' there is nothing of interest to the FBI on the latest backups or current OS of the phone? Then the backdoor would have been created for no purpose and effectively made every other iPhone open to being hacked.... including for, but not exclusively for, terrorism....?

What stops a terrorist organisation from using the backdoor exploit in gaining access to a government officials personal iPhone and perhaps finding national security info and exploiting it?

All very hypothetical but i think the point is very valid.

 

[Kaibelf]

Sorry Tim , I think you draw the wrong line. Supporting terrorism is just plain wrong. Any righteous person has nothing to hide from the government.

I didn't commit any crimes. That doesn't mean you have a right to go through my personal phone, period. I think Lois Griffin summed it up best....

But what about the terrorists?...
That's right, terrorists.....We have intelligence that suggests that... Hitler is plotting with... with the Legion of Doom... to assassinate Jesus... using the lake as a base.

And we also have evidence that... Darth Vader tried to buy yellowcake uranium... from unwed teenage mothers!!!

 

[Ghost31]

If it will stop another 9/11 why be so half hearted about it?

Just scrap the constitution and give the FBI the legal authority to do anything they want, including torturing people.

Perhaps get Cook's family and friends in front of a firing squad and see how strong his principles are then?

If it will stop another 9/11...

This is why I hate that 9/11 happened. Because it can forever be used as an example of "if you don't do this, 9/11 can happen again!" A lot of things could happen again, but we decide how we as a people get to live. Are we free? Or are we merely under the illusion of freedom?

 

[ditzy]

Yes, apparently according to Apple themselves, a third party repair shop can easily hack your phone and it's encryption by replacing a dodgy finger print scanner, yet the ENTIRE US government and it's CIA and FBI and other law enforcement departments can't hack your device...

Apple really talks out of its bottom sometimes, and for the record I'm not with Apple on this one.
The price of freedom you enjoy everyday is to give up privacy for the freedom to be protected, don't like it then be prepared to lose some of that freedom.
And it's disgusting Apple is talking rubbish when vital evidence is being requested to prove someone innocent or guilty, what if the guy is innocent but gets the death sentence, who cares right when you don't know them, but that nasty government won't spy on you...
Or what if he's guilty and walks free and kills Tim Cook, what would you say then when accessing his iPhone would have produced evidence to send them to jail?

Well America if you vote Trump in I think the government spying on you is the least of your problems anyway.

So your saying I have to lose my freedom to protect my freedom. I mean I understand an argument that was, I lose my freedom to protect my safety. There is a logic there, not one I in anyway agree with, but still logical. Losing you freedom to protect your freedom, makes no sense.