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Apple to Launch a Global Law Enforcement Web Portal to Streamline Data Requests by End of 2018 [Updated]

Uncle Tim built Coppy Wonder World, filled with all the wonderful things good cops love. And bad ones, too.

Look, there‘s a stand with grilled users, and there, fried privacy. Looks so nice with all the PR sugar and icing.

Seems, if you want healthy food, you will have to prepare it yourself from now on.
 
DeftwillP said:
I worry that judges will see this not as a form of compliance but as a step toward granting more unwarranted privacy breaches in the name of public safety. Now that apple is saying more publicly that they can do it, the requests from law enforcement will no doubt increase by multitudes.
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You have to go back and read the article more thoroughly. Apple, as they are legally required to do, has processed tens of thousands of requests just in the past few years. Just because you haven't understood that these subpoenas, search warrants, etc., are being served on Apple, Google, etc., doesn't mean that law enforcement is similarly unaware, and the detectives are going to say Gollee, we had no idea iPhones had such information that we could get and start applying for search warrants for iPhones. No, this obviously isn't any revelation to law enforcement, it is just a more efficient process for Apple to have a single portal instead of thousands of law enforcement officers having to contact Apple via a myriad of methods to get the information through Apple's corporate bureaucracy, and the training is a great idea to get everyone on the same page as to not waste Apple's or the cops' time and effort, especially when it could be critical to save a life, e.g., a woman has been kidnapped and time is of the essence to get the records on when and where her phone has been used. It's also great PR to combat the idea that Apple doesn't cooperate with law enforcement that has valid legal process.
 
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Mr. Retrofire said:
"You" store the data on Apples servers, because you use Apples services, not Apple.
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This is the best post on the subject. All those people thinking Apple has your privacy at heart think again. Yes they will not give up your data on request but when subpoenaed by a judge with a warrent they will; this just outlays the process.
 
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Crwmlw said:
I personally think its a great move, its just putting a process in place to make it a little easier, so many people concerned about privacy, I get it, trust me. However, if you are doing nothing wrong who cares. I really dont think law enforcement is going to access your credit card to make purchases or look at your girlfriend or boyfriend's naked pictures. All these people complaining about privacy need to take a step back and look at the big picture. If anything would ever happen to a loved one, another terrorist attack etc. I would hope Apple would give up information to law enforcement from that persons phone to help them. Get over it people, if the police were to take my phone and I did nothing wrong have at it, you arent going to find anything. They can care less about your perosnal banking information etc. Its aonly a cell phone people..
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a.jpg


Not everyone on this planet can talk so easily.
 
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You know what this sounds like to me? Apple is getting a little too comfy with law enforcement—whose top goal is to track everyone. If they continue down this path then we may need to come up with an alternative to Apple. Unfortunately I don’t think it yet exists in the world of privacy. Hopefully someone comes in to replace them if they start eroding our privacy. This is where I put my foot down, Apple!
 
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truthertech said:
You have to go back and read the article more thoroughly. Apple, as they are legally required to do, has processed tens of thousands of requests just in the past few years. Just because you haven't understood that these subpoenas, search warrants, etc., are being served on Apple, Google, etc., doesn't mean that law enforcement is similarly unaware, and the detectives are going to say Gollee, we had no idea iPhones had such information that we could get and start applying for search warrants for iPhones. No, this obviously isn't any revelation to law enforcement, it is just a more efficient process for Apple to have a single portal instead of thousands of law enforcement officers having to contact Apple via a myriad of methods to get the information, and the training is a great idea to get everyone on the same page as to not waste Apple's or the cops' time and effort, especially when it could be critical to save a life, e.g., a woman has been kidnapped and time is of the essence to get the records on when and where her phone has been used.
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Exactly, well said. All these people worried about privacy, if something were to happen to a loved one and information from the offender's phone can help the case are these people concerned with privacy gonna tell the police " please dont go in that guys phone, your invading his privacy" REALLY !!! I just cant comprehend these people so concerned, If you are doing nothing wrong then you have nothing to hide. Maybe these people are using their phones for things they shouldnt be doing. I use it for phone calls, text and occasional facebook, want to look at my phone? Knock your socks off, I have nothing to hide.
 
krause734 said:
Meanwhile the agencies already have all the Android phone data.
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I don't get this nonsense b*******. OK Google collects more personnel information that Apple; yes we can agree on that. Why does that mean Google shares more of our information than Apple with Government agencies? Please enlightened me or ****.
 
So, all the stuff people sync with iCloud is made available to law enforcement on request.
And people sync everything from photos to passwords and location-data to iMessages that way.

What exactly makes Apple different from other tech-companies when it comes to privacy then?
(Except with Apple, law enforcement won't even need your iPhone/Mac to get to your data).
 
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Well... how about they encrypt everything by default so when the gov. asks they give them encrypted data?

Given that Apple requires you an iCloud account to use their products, and so does Windows and Google for Android... you can't use anything anymore without you logging in so they can track your every move. How do we know Apple is not recording every keystroke, breathe, and video that goes via camera and storing it on their servers?

Paranoid? Yes, but how do you know its not happening? Seems Linux is the only option left that you can use truly without the fear of someone breathing behind your neck.
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flottenheimer said:
So, all the stuff people sync with iCloud is made available to law enforcement on request.
And people sync everything from photos to passwords and location-data to iMessages that way.

What exactly makes Apple different from other tech-companies when it comes to privacy then?
(Except with Apple, law enforcement won't even need your iPhone/Mac to get to your data).
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Yes, I am starting to feel Apple is turning into just another Facebook/Google company now.
 
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They already handle these requests, I guess this just makes it a little easier for everyone involved. I don't see it as a major change to their existing policies on anything.
 
Crwmlw said:
I personally think its a great move, its just putting a process in place to make it a little easier, so many people concerned about privacy, I get it, trust me. However, if you are doing nothing wrong who cares. I really dont think law enforcement is going to access your credit card to make purchases or look at your girlfriend or boyfriend's naked pictures. All these people complaining about privacy need to take a step back and look at the big picture. If anything would ever happen to a loved one, another terrorist attack etc. I would hope Apple would give up information to law enforcement from that persons phone to help them. Get over it people, if the police were to take my phone and I did nothing wrong have at it, you arent going to find anything. They can care less about your perosnal banking information etc. Its aonly a cell phone people..
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This has nothing to do with banking info. That info is not accessible to anyone, not even Apple. This is about citizens that actually trust a corporation more than their own government. Many citizens, journalists, immigrants are in danger right now even though they haven't broken any law. As we have seen, the laws can change quickly putting many innocents in the crosshairs with the companies holding the keys and dangling them in front of the government. Now that corporation is working closer with their government, but I am not worried because I think it's mostly lip service and a call for more transparency and less backroom warrant BS. I still trust Apple more than US government and that is a much larger problem this country needs to address.
 
Crwmlw said:
Exactly, well said. All these people worried about privacy, if something were to happen to a loved one and information from the offender's phone can help the case are these people concerned with privacy gonna tell the police " please dont go in that guys phone, your invading his privacy" REALLY !!! I just cant comprehend these people so concerned, If you are doing nothing wrong then you have nothing to hide. Maybe these people are using their phones for things they shouldnt be doing. I use it for phone calls, text and occasional facebook, want to look at my phone? Knock your socks off, I have nothing to hide.
Click to expand...


I want to make it clear that I am a privacy advocate-that's why I would never use Google products, and people have a reasonable expectation of privacy generally in the information on their phones, but that's why law enforcement is required to have a valid subpoena or search warrant to serve on Apple before Apple can legally provide the information.
 
Crwmlw said:
...All these people worried about privacy, ... I just cant comprehend these people so concerned, If you are doing nothing wrong then you have nothing to hide. Maybe these people are using their phones for things they shouldnt be doing. I use it for phone calls, text and occasional facebook, want to look at my phone? Knock your socks off, I have nothing to hide.
Click to expand...

Many peoples main concern is actually not law enforcement getting their hands on your data. But rather the risk of law enforcement being hacked or perhaps more common being reckless with your data – suddenly making your data available to everyone.

Just Google "law enforcement data leak", "fbi data leak", "cia data leak" or whatever. Manning and Snowden are also excellent examples of what is possible when it comes to government data-security or rather lack thereof.
 
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chrono1081 said:
Everyone is so bent out of shape already, this isn't some back door being created, its simply a portal to filter requests through which I'm surprised they didn't have before.

This is a smarter way to do things. Police were still doing requests before, they're just doing them a different way now.
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Indeed - rather than requests coming in through a variety of different routes and in different forms, and including or missing various bits of information or documents, now they can get the information in one uniform format, they can require various things upfront (e.g. if the form demands they "click here to attach the relevant subpoena", it keeps law enforcement insisting "but we really need it" without having a subpoena), and if law enforcement agencies contact the wrong part of Apple, there's a big shiny correct entrance that people can point them towards. Sounds like a good idea.
 
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I am laughing hysterically at the posts in this thread from people who will do absolutely nothing about it except anonymously rant and rave in a tech blog. Most of them probably don't even vote, not that it would make any difference. Same goes for their hysterical wailings about Net Neutrality. All blather and bluster that politicians can safely ignore. Hilarious!
 
All of the information about global requests is published, including types of request, number of rejections etc.

https://www.apple.com/privacy/transparency-reports/

There’s also a handy canary in the coal mine statement of “to date apple has not received requests for bulk data”. If that ever disappears, that’s probably when you should worry. Other than that Apple, Microsoft, Google and Facebook have little option but to turn over what they have when requested.

https://qz.com/620423/heres-how-oft...ver-data-when-the-us-government-asked-for-it/
 
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I think this is a grave mistake.
If the person holding the request account is compromised or his account his hacked, the consequences is disastrous.

They need to come in via court order... or official channel where Apple can legitimately recognize a person of authority.
 
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