Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor

[raythompsontn]

Go ahead UK, demand the backdoor. UK laws do not apply to the rest of the world. Which is a good thing. Apple should just withdraw any connection with the UK, product sales, stores, support, any manufacturing. Let the UK stew in their own stupidity. Apple should tell the UK to pound sand.

The biggest problem with backdoors is that if the UK could get in, so could others. Based on the stupidity coming out of the UK I would not trust the UK to keep anything private or secret involving the back door.

The UK has zero, none, nada, right to my data as I don't live in the UK. Why should the UK be allowed to randomly search anyone's data, in the world, without any legal oversight or control? Would my name match someone that UK wants and the UK accesses my data then says "oh, our bad. By the way, thanks for access to your bank account credentials".

 

[Onelifenofear]

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…

Source for this? Nope? I thought not.

Verification of the Incident:

• No major news outlet or official source has reported that a 33‑year‑old man—described in the manner you mentioned—was arrested for a comment about Keir Starmer and then given an option to take a “16‑week course” on his online behavior.
  
  
• It’s not uncommon for rumors or exaggerated anecdotes to circulate online, especially around politically charged topics. If a claim sounds unusually extreme or is couched in pejorative terms (for example, using derogatory language to describe someone’s mental capacity or condition), it’s a good idea to be cautious and look for corroboration.

I don't agree with the riots arrests around social media...but they were SPECIFICALLY inciting violence.

 

[raythompsontn]

They would still have to follow a legal process, have a good reason and request permission for a specific account in order to access data - just as they do now with unencrypted data.

Yeh, right. Governments following their own rules? What is to stop some "off the rails" employee from accessing data without oversight? Would the government be pleased if all their data was suddenly released on the dark web?

Any back door will be compromised over time. Or accessed without legal oversight. What if my name matches someone else and my data is accessed? What happens to that data?

 

[frenchcamp49er]

What do you expect from a socialist regime?

 

[antiprotest]

At this point we just all need to type and speak in encrypted text, I mean khyhhhea&*yk3487ajk%*^gfl k3uga*&^IJGgkgq4k7*^(*&, so laklklz8^*(&^kjgikls%*&^*KJHK%*^, you feel me?

 

[turbineseaplane]

What do you expect from a socialist regime?

You're getting your definitions a little confused here

 

[novagamer]

I keep all notifications disabled, except text and calls, but that doesn't help. The apps can still hit an unencrypted API for push notifications, which leak the data, even if they aren't delivered.

Bummer.

You can block endpoints with on-device firewalls but it’s a giant pain in the ass. Apple needs to provide the functionality at the OS level, and I strongly recommend anyone who cares about this to write directly to Apple’s leadership, because they do take feedback seriously when it actually gets to them. Be polite but firm in the communications. The “nutrition” App Privacy labels in the App Store are also woefully inadequate and should come with controls to disable functionality but many developers would lose their damn minds. There should be some upper-level of security option that truly provides only necessary identifiers like user account IDs and the OS & App Review should not allow further intrusion or fingerprinting via some toggle.

Keep devices up to date, use Lockdown Mode, enable advanced data protection, disable (most) notifications, use a local firewall as well as an endpoint one on your network, etc. and you are fairly secure unless you are being pursued by an entire nation-state entity with a lot of resources, which probably means you are acting pretty nefariously to warrant that level of attention.

There are a couple Android distributions that are more secure than iOS but they are even more of a pain to run and you lose the ecosystem benefits, I’d only do that if you are a definite target, like a journalist covering an oppressive regime. It becomes like Linux where you have to stay on top of a ton of OS-level changes, and you can’t really trust 3rd party Apps at all on that platform unless they are open source and you vet them yourself which is basically a full-time job requiring multiple people.

…

The cloud encryption stuff other people have already well-covered, Apple’s only option would be to disable it, they aren’t going to unlock current encrypted backups because they can’t technologically. They may be compelled to release an OS update in that country which removes the option, though.

Everyone should have that data protection enabled, messages are E2E encrypted but they can be read from a backup which is how all those court cases get every single one people have ever sent, via discovery. Everyone should use it because the more people that do the less those that really need it stand out from the crowd.

 

[raythompsontn]

khyhhhea&*yk3487ajk%*^gfl k3uga*&^IJGgkgq4k7*^(*&, so laklklz8^*(&^kjgikls%*&^*KJHK%*^

I don't like your swearing at me and calling me names. I am reporting you to the administrators.

 

[Mr_Ed]

At this point we just all need to type and speak in encrypted text, I mean khyhhhea&*yk3487ajk%*^gfl k3uga*&^IJGgkgq4k7*^(*&, so laklklz8^*(&^kjgikls%*&^*KJHK%*^, you feel me?

Shhh. I’m planning to mambo dogface in the banana patch.

 

[Onelifenofear]

Go ahead UK, demand the backdoor. UK laws do not apply to the rest of the world. Which is a good thing. Apple should just withdraw any connection with the UK, product sales, stores, support, any manufacturing. Let the UK stew in their own stupidity. Apple should tell the UK to pound sand.

The biggest problem with backdoors is that if the UK could get in, so could others. Based on the stupidity coming out of the UK I would not trust the UK to keep anything private or secret involving the back door.

The UK has zero, none, nada, right to my data as I don't live in the UK. Why should the UK be allowed to randomly search anyone's data, in the world, without any legal oversight or control? Would my name match someone that UK wants and the UK accesses my data then says "oh, our bad. By the way, thanks for access to your bank account credentials".

The irony is that you mention "Stupidity" and you have not actually read the article or found out the truth behind it. You are blindly reading a Engadgment Article and stomping your feet.

It's not to "Randomly search" data, "without and legal oversight or control?"

UK government and USA and many others already have agreement to access info VIA COURT ORDER - and this NEW edict is still by court order but to any encrypted information... which Apple themselves don't have access to at all. So they couldn't comply even if they wanted to all... All they can do is turn off the enhanced encryption... But I bet you don't even have that setting on anyway. I don't.

 

[Onelifenofear]

What do you expect from a socialist regime?

This was instigated in the conservative government, so how do you feel about that Now?

And it's actually not that much different to what they, the USA, Europe and most countries have, Access to a suspected criminal's Account BY COURT ORDER - they can't just press a button and read the stuff.

They want to be able to access enrypted stuff... Apple won't be able to comply as they don't have access to it. All they can do is turn it off for future use. USA already are trying the same thing.

 

[zapmymac]

Way to go UK. #shameful

 

[Razorpit]

USAID has done an immeasurable amount of good in the world, and provided a tremendous amount of soft power to the United States, and is being dismantled by a man who doesn't understand the concept of charity - if he gives something he wants something in return for himself -, a bunch of Christian nationalists who have forgotten everything Jesus said about giving to the less fortunate, and Elon Musk, who is falling for and spreading Russian propaganda (gee, I wonder why Russia might not want USAID around?).

I have friends who have worked for USAID and you know what they were doing? delivering food and medicine to needy people around the world, HIV/AIDS outreach in Africa, fighting Cholera in Haiti, and helping rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan to show the locals that while we were against their government, we wanted to help the people and make their lives better. You know what they weren't doing? Subverting the elected government of the United States.

And, by the way, calling Politico "government funded" is a dishonest rhetorical trick. Does the government buy Politico subscriptions? Absolutely. But when you say "government funded" normal people are going to assume that means the government has approval/control over what is published, not that they're buying subscriptions like everyone else.

There has been some amount of good, unfortunately we've discovered they've also done an immeasurable amount of evil to match or even exceed. We don't know for sure and it's all under investigation. And to your point the Bible tells us to teach others how to fish, not supply them with it so that they become subservient to whatever demands you come up with later.

Politico has received money to run stories approved by the federal government. I don't care what side of the political spectrum you are on, if you don't see that as a bad thing then I don't know how anyone can take you seriously. You think they would have gotten that money had they gone against the government narrative on any current event? How often does Politico publish articles counter to progressive/democrat talking points? 🤔

Color revolutions? Yeah no agenda there just another Roman Salute.

These forums desperately need either a rolling eye emoji, or a fainting couch emoji.

Did you even read the news , how US is claiming part of the worlds or else demands?

🤣 What?

 

[Dremmel]

USAID has done an immeasurable amount of good in the world, and provided a tremendous amount of soft power to the United States

They also created an amazingly virulent bat virus with the help of the now pardoned Fauci and Eco alliance. Maybe start a new agency that this time isn't corrupt?

 

[Razorpit]

This was instigated in the conservative government, so how do you feel about that Now?

And it's actually not that much different to what they, the USA, Europe and most countries have, Access to a suspected criminal's Account BY COURT ORDER - they can't just press a button and read the stuff.

They want to be able to access enrypted stuff... Apple won't be able to comply as they don't have access to it. All they can do is turn it off for future use. USA already are trying the same thing.

*Conservative socialists. Happy now? 😄

 

[Regulus67]

Well. This certainly seem to make apple devices with basic (minimal) storage spec a lot less attractive.
As the need to use local storage, instead of iCloud storage, becomes a privacy concern.
It might be UK today, but a few years down the road; I will not be surprised at all if it has become more commonplace

 

[burgman]

What actually could go very wrong is the government storing the data on obsolete and unsecured servers. It will be in the hands of hackers way before it reaches the "5 eyes" thingy.

The Utah Data Center, one of the intels data centers. Your narrative is trendy
The data center is powered by Cray XC30 when built in 2014.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Well. This certainly seem to make apple devices with basic (minimal) storage spec a lot less attractive.
As the need to use local storage, instead of iCloud storage, a privacy concern.
It might be UK today, but a few years down the road; I will not be surprised at all if it has become more commonplace

Or later this year

Dominoes fall quickly on stuff like this

I've been blown away how quickly American companies just could not WAIT to "not have to care about any kind of diversity or inclusion or equity initiatives" ... just "instant" rollback when the tacit permission was given

(kudos to Costco for having some of their own brain cells to think with and actually evaluate pros/cons and decide for themselves)

 

[Will Co]

I think everyone needs to calm down a bit. I live in the UK, and I've seen this come and go many times. Just because this requirement/request has apparently (not-so-secretly) now been formally made, it doesn't mean it is going to happen. There will be legal challenges, and not just from Apple. Plenty of organisations in the UK don't want to see this either. It will run and run for months and years and, IMHO, probably not happen. Nothing to see. For now.

FWIW I think it's a terrible idea. Even given all the protections that come with IPA requests (court orders required etc - it's not a wide open snooping facility) it will create unwanted backdoors that will be exploited by unwanted actors. Bad idea.

 

[omenatarhuri]

One, but start with all UK government employees, from #10, MI5 and GCHQ

Also the slow horses

 

[Pezimak]

All of our forum debating and back and forth about "Apple App Store policies", "iPad Pros" and "Apple's rumored desktop robot" are sort of seeming like small and unimportant bickering these days

It IS unimportant, that is the problem. And I doubt any of us are in government, so the only way we can impact anything is a revolution, or the ballot box with the choices we have. The second one hasn’t worked for many and honestly I don’t know how much longer people will give democracy…..

 

[turbineseaplane]

They also created an amazingly virulent bat virus with the help of the now pardoned Fauci and Eco alliance. Maybe start a new agency that this time isn't corrupt?

Oh my goodness
🫠

 

[Regulus67]

Or later this year...

I hear you. I have been digging around a bit the past week, to see what is going on in the US. On topics you have also been touching in this discussion. And I have been stunned, to say the least

 

[turbineseaplane]

I think everyone needs to calm down a bit. I live in the UK, and I've seen this come and go many times. Just because this requirement/request has apparently (not-so-secretly) now been formally made, it doesn't mean it is going to happen. There will be legal challenges, and not just from Apple. Plenty of organisations in the UK don't want to see this either. It will run and run for months and years and, IMHO, probably not happen. Nothing to see. For now.

FWIW I think it's a terrible idea. Even given all the protections that come with IPA requests (court orders required etc - it's not a wide open snooping facility) it will create unwanted backdoors that will be exploited by unwanted actors. Bad idea.

I wish I shared your optimism

The politics of so many areas Apple operates in are skewing very authoritarian and they'll be left with little option but compliance

It's good to see the UK seems to have returned to some sense of political normalcy, but I suspect they'll follow whatever path engulfs the Western world

 

[surferfb]

They also created an amazingly virulent bat virus with the help of the now pardoned Fauci and Eco alliance. Maybe start a new agency that this time isn't corrupt?

Again, crazy conspiracy theories. Everything you read on the internet is not true. Do you people even listen to yourselves?

But we're off topic, and that's my fault for jumping on the initial USAID comment. Despite our belief or disbelief of crazy internet rumors about USAID, we all agree this is a massive overreach that should be stopped! Liberals and Conservatives agree on something! This is a good thing! Hopefully bringing attention to this will stop it. Happy to support those in the UK who might be able to talk sense into their elected representatives in whatever way I can.