Hey, at least a Government is requesting access, as opposed to just letting in an unelected billionaire to steal the data!
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Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor
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Long thread, so sorry if this has been asked.
If Advanced Data Protection is end to end encrypted and Apple can’t access it, how is it possible to give a government entity or anyone else access to existing accounts?
If Advanced Data Protection is end to end encrypted and Apple can’t access it, how is it possible to give a government entity or anyone else access to existing accounts?
Specifically how could Apple do this to an existing account that is already E2E encrypted?
By phasing out ADP and forcing users to convert or permanently abandon their data.
In that case, users would have to be notified. From the reporting here, it looks like the UK is demanding a back door without notifying users.
So, not possible without notice. This at least gives users time to move everything to another, albeit inconvenient, E2E service.
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First, that notification can be extremely vague.
Second, I don’t think the UK government is as much after the existing data as they want to stop people from protecting their data going forward.
Apple's spokesperson could say something like, "If we were to confirm that the UK Gov't had made such a request, we would be breaking the law. So unfortunately we cannot confirm at this time."
This goes further than UK. The “five eyes” have agreements to share data. The U.S. can’t spy on it’s citizens but UK can and share what they find with the Yanks.
It can be for future enablements. Going forward, UK customers enabling Advanced Data Protection would have a copy of their encryption keys encrypted by the keys belonging to HRMSS.
Nah, the Tories just fooled slightly more than half of the UK into thinking so.
Nope. If GCHQ gets access, the 5 Eye countries would have access to all that info as well. And with a backdoor, others would find it as well.
As a rule, GCHQ does the spying on the USA and sends the info back to the NSA making it legal for the NSA. Same with the NSA or GCHQ doing the spying on Canadians and sending it back to CSIS etc. Same for each country in the 5 Eyes. Israel would also be included in that info flow as well. There is also the 14 eyes but not sure 100% how the info flows there, I don't believe it is at the same level as the 5 Eyes.
This is aside from all the illegal spying they all do to their own people, if said country has any laws preventing such.
If I was Apple, I would pull all encryption effected from the UK market and go encryption-less for all those services effected. If the government wants to cry fowl and punish Apple etc. it would hit the public hard! That is the only way that I am aware of to deal with this completely stupid order. It is worse than China and Apple cannot sit this one out. They are targeting them first and if they let them get away with it, it will effect the whole world, obviously!
Edit: I almost feel like I posted in the wrong forum but then see that the page name above is correct. 🤣
Edit: I almost feel like I posted in the wrong forum but then see that the page name above is correct. 🤣
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Back up your phone to your computer. I've been doing this for years, never use icloud. Quick easy and encrypted.
Moderator Note:
Quite a few posts debating the Russia/Ukraine conflict have been removed as off-topic. Please stick to the thread topic of "Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor", or the thread will be closed.
Quite a few posts debating the Russia/Ukraine conflict have been removed as off-topic. Please stick to the thread topic of "Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor", or the thread will be closed.
Isolating UK user data from the rest doesn't require "costly engineering resources," as the development efforts for that were spent for China.
Remember that a few years ago, there was a "great migration" of iCloud data for users based in China. Hence, similar migration could also be done for UK users.
Remember that a few years ago, there was a "great migration" of iCloud data for users based in China. Hence, similar migration could also be done for UK users.
Agreed except the sources didn't say just UK users, they said world-wide! They don't want just UK users. That is why the sources are saying this is unprecedented. No one has done any kind of order like this before. China just wanted China not whole world access.
It is like the UK is drunk on power and going on a power binge to see if they can get away with it.
Since the UK has no significant power anymore, that's akin to saying they're drunk on alcohol free beer.....
What is people's take on this now? There has been no further news.
Do we assume Apple is gagged and therefore can't say anything and if so, being as the inital order was given a month ago, do we now assume that iCloud is compromised and they have built in a back door?
Apple's silence on it is quite worrying. Even though they aren't allowed to report on the legal order, they could have announced they are pulling iCloud from the UK by now, or removing ADP from the UK etc. However, so far, nothing. The longer Apple is silent surely the greater the chance they have complied with the order?
I am surprised there isn't more anger about this online. This is the private data of 2 billion citizens of the world that will fall into the UK governments hands and then bad actors hands after that.
What are you guys planning to do about it. Are you all currently happy to keep using icloud "as you were".
Thanks for any opinions on it.
Do we assume Apple is gagged and therefore can't say anything and if so, being as the inital order was given a month ago, do we now assume that iCloud is compromised and they have built in a back door?
Apple's silence on it is quite worrying. Even though they aren't allowed to report on the legal order, they could have announced they are pulling iCloud from the UK by now, or removing ADP from the UK etc. However, so far, nothing. The longer Apple is silent surely the greater the chance they have complied with the order?
I am surprised there isn't more anger about this online. This is the private data of 2 billion citizens of the world that will fall into the UK governments hands and then bad actors hands after that.
What are you guys planning to do about it. Are you all currently happy to keep using icloud "as you were".
Thanks for any opinions on it.
Apple can't say anything and yes, the silence of the population is staggering. I was also expecting this to be BIG news but it hasn't been. Not even in tech realms.
Because of previous knowledge, I do my very best to not put anything over the Internet that should be kept private. since the NSA etc. can access almost anything they really want to. That should be the norm since Snowden, William Binney and other whistleblowers but it isn't and most people want convenience over security. And the public has also shown they will take the idea of security over privacy, which is also a really bad thing. But the public has chosen.
Also, you make them work for it if they do want your information, like Snowden said. You don't just hand your digital life over to them on a silver platter.
Someone in Apple did the leaking and I would back them all the way. Even with all the stuff known, this is still very bad and sad news.
Because of previous knowledge, I do my very best to not put anything over the Internet that should be kept private. since the NSA etc. can access almost anything they really want to. That should be the norm since Snowden, William Binney and other whistleblowers but it isn't and most people want convenience over security. And the public has also shown they will take the idea of security over privacy, which is also a really bad thing. But the public has chosen.
Also, you make them work for it if they do want your information, like Snowden said. You don't just hand your digital life over to them on a silver platter.
Someone in Apple did the leaking and I would back them all the way. Even with all the stuff known, this is still very bad and sad news.