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Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor

The British fascist state in full effect. If you say something that isn’t agreed by the state you are arrested and charged, and jailed in a lot of cases. In my mind it’s the definition of fascism and this from Kier Starmer is just more of it. He wants to see what people are saying and doing so he can have them ‘re-educated’. Our last government was bad but this lot are ten times worst.
I am glad Apple will just withdraw services and stick its finger up to them, although it also most likely means any other cloud storage service has given the Labour government completely unfettered access to customer data.
 
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Pezimak said:
The British fascist state in full effect. If you say something that isn’t agreed by the state you are arrested and charged, and jailed in a lot of cases. In my mind it’s the definition of fascism and this from Kier Starmer is just more of it. He wants to see what people are saying and doing so he can have then ‘re-educated’. Our last government was bad but this lot are ten times worst.
I am glad Apple will just withdraw services and stick its finger up to them, although it also most likely means any other cloud storage service has given the Labour government completely unfettered access to customer data.
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You are following the Coup in the USA underway right now and have reviewed the Project 2025 documented plan they are rolling out before our eyes, correct?

Your concerns are shared and valid ... and very much not limited to other countries
 
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surferfb said:
This is an outrage and I hope the people in the UK make it clear to their government it’s not acceptable.
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If we made it clear it’s not acceptable, I am not joking here, we are VERY likely to be arrested…. Heard a story about a 33 year old man, who is extremely autistic and has the mind of a 10 year old, on Instagram they made comments about how if Kier Starmer didn’t stop what he was doing someone is going to end his life, I won’t use the words he did in case I get in trouble. That man was arrested and has now been charged, he didn’t even threaten the PM of Britain himself, they told him he can follow a 16 week course for education of his online attitude and political beliefs, or go to court and trial. Let me say again, they are extremely autistic with the mind of a 10 year old.
During the riots and in other cases people have been arrested and jailed for simply re-tweeting another post. And their cases also look at media posts they have liked as evidence.

You think 1984 is a made up story? Think again…
 
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I'm with everyone on all the outrage, but who and what is left to stand up for normal people?

The corporations are in bed with every government all over

China ... is China

The US is heading down Russia/Hungary road -- so I'm not surprised to see the UK going similarly
Tacit permission is now essentially given for all the worst actions

In the USA context, this is why it mattered to push back on really bad candidates like Trump and why it also matters to hold corporations to account in terms of antitrust and consumer protection laws

History books thick and wide will be written about the lead up to the 2016 USA election and what media was and wasn't covering, Comeys actions ... and of course Citizens United, which is what really accelerated the political demise in the USA.
 
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laptech said:
The UK government can ask Apple for all the security backdoors it's wants, it is never going to happen.
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Apple complies with all laws in the countries where it operates.

The fiendish nature of the Snoopers’ Charter is that Apple are forbidden, by law, to tell anyone about requests for technical means to defeat encryption, and they are obliged to provide such means.
 
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surferfb said:
You seem to be in denial about what your own government has the power to do. As someone who is recently frequently in denial about the bad things his government is doing, I empathize.

The law passed in 2016, and an amendment passed last year. Apple spoke out against it at the time. UK government spokespeople have spoken out against end-to-end encryption. The law allows the government to do this without telling anyone, and makes it a crime for Apple to tell anyone the request happened.

Why on earth would the journalists Washington Post risk its sterling reputation to make up a story like this? Why would US national security officials confirm it? If it didn’t happen, why isn’t Apple saying it didn’t happen? Why is the UK’s response “we won’t confirm or deny” vs. “that’s ridiculous, we don’t have the power to do that”?
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That’s a bit like the laws that have already been passed under previous UK governments where if you have a smart meter, and smart goods wired up, they have the power to control when you can use those devices in your own home, they also have the power to order the energy in your electric car is reversed back into thr grid if required. It’s all law already.
And like if in serious financial situations under extreme circumstances the state can take your home over and do what it wants with it, doesn’t matter if you own it, and land too if they so choose. All in law, although it would have to be extremely extreme circumstances for them ever to be enacted on.
 
JohnRckr said:
How bad is this exactly for a dude that lives outside of UK?
Genuine question idk
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It means you will be relying on security through obscurity. In other words, very bad.

Some of the good guys who bait scammers on the internet are using security tools that were stolen from the NSA. If the NSA can’t guard against data theft through back doors, who can?
 
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Pezimak said:
First rule, never use the BBC News as a reliable source, ever. They are extremely left wing and a mouth piece for the British government.
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So if they’re the mouthpiece of the British government and they are confirming the Washington Post story, we can all assume the story is undeniably true then? I mean, the government’s mouthpiece is saying they’ve confirmed it.
 
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A country (my country) that does not have the spine to introduce any compulsory ID card. There is no obligation to carry any ID at all. You don’t even need to carry a license if you are driving. You just have to promise to visit a police station with it later. What a joke! And yet behind the scenes they are happy to snoop around what we do on our phones.
 
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Chungry said:
"Democratic" is indeed laughable
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Over the past few years the Left (more about that moniker below) has shifted the usage and meaning of the word from referring to the populace asserting their sovereignty through free and fair elections and exerting influence on their elected officials to assent to and cooperation with democratic institutions with lofty-sounding names.

As far as the “Left” is concerned, the term doesn’t really capture what I mean. Most in the political parties of the Western World considered to be part of the “Left” only give lip service to their ideological foundation. It’s good for their foot soldiers. What actually drives them is power. That’s what remains, after you strip away Truth and Justice in the sense that they are discernible and universal.
 
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Very simple solution. Every UK citizen must always provide their password to a government group that keeps track of the passwords. Anytime you change your password you need to update it with the government. The government is allowed to do periodic checks of all phones and if you haven't complied you get life in prison. And with two factor authorization you are required to approve it on your phone whenever you get a notice that someone is accessing your account remotely.

So simple. Oh... That is what the US also proposed.
 
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I have many qualms with the "Left" over the last 10-15 years or so, but it's beyond hilarious to see assertions that left wing ideology are what's leading to authoritarian policies across the world

That's literally 180 degrees flipped from reality

The Internet has truly broken human civilization
 
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chenks said:
like most democracies we have the ability to vote in or out every 5 years via a "first past the post" system.

what we don't have is a system where a megalomaniac can sign whatever "executive order" they choose on a whim based on what they though of whilst sitting on the toilet.

we have a system where bills are proposed, debated, voted on, and then passed outwith the sitting government to be be vetted before either being approved or rejected back to the sitting government to think again.
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Executive orders are not legislation, and cannot upend legislation. Any order Trump signs that is not within what the legislative branch has written into law, and what the constitution says, will be blocked by courts.

chenks said:
what the WP is reporting on (and nobody else is at the moment) is unlikely to ever get to the stage where it would be approved, and even if it did get approved, unlikely to get to stage where it would be enforced.
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You seem to not understand that this has already happened. They already ordered Apple to do this. They could rescind it perhaps, (unlikely? I’m not sure) but this is past “approval”.
 
arkitect said:
*sigh*

Unbelievable.

What the Tories started in 2016, Labour doubles down on in 2025…

Goes to show no matter who you vote for, never mind all the spiel at election time, they are all the same.

As a Brit I feel absolutely outraged and despondent.
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They are all the same my friend. You can't tell where one ends and the other begins. Voted out the Tories in favour of the diet Tories.

Outraged and despondent also.
 
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