NYPD Chief: Apple Provides Aid to Kidnappers, Robbers, Murderers

[MacRumors]

The New York Police Department's counter-terrorism chief John Miller has accused Apple of providing aid to criminals by using encryption to secure its iPhones, according to The Daily News.

Speaking on AM radio host John Catsimatidis's The Cats Roundtable show on Sunday, the deputy commissioner hit out at Apple for its encryption policies, arguing that recent changes to the iPhone operating system had prevented law enforcement from doing its job.

"I still don't know what made Apple change their minds and decide to actually design a system that made them not able to aid the police," Miller told Catsimatidis.

"You are providing aid to the kidnappers, robbers and murders who have actually been recorded on the telephones in Riker's Island telling their compatriots on the outside, 'You gotta get iOS 8. It's a gift from God' - and that's a quote - 'because the cops can't crack it,'" Miller said.

The same account was quoted in last week's U.S. congressional hearing, when New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance claimed that his agency was unable to access 175 iPhones linked to criminal activity that are currently in its possession. Vance added that hundreds of encrypted Apple devices had also been seized in Texas, Illinois and Connecticut, during investigations into serious crimes including human trafficking and sexual assaults.

In the past, Apple has extracted data from iPhones under lawful court orders, but the company stopped storing encryption keys for devices running iOS 8 or later. As a result of this stronger protection, Apple cannot assist the FBI without circumventing iOS security and putting the privacy and safety of its customers at risk.

Last month a U.S. Federal judge ordered Apple to help federal investigators access data on the iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. The U.S. government said at the time that investigators were only seeking access to the iPhone related to the San Bernardino case.

However, reports have since revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice is pursuing additional court orders that would force Apple to help federal investigators extract data from twelve other encrypted iPhones that may contain crime-related evidence.

The 12 cases are similar to the San Bernardino case in that prosecutors have sought to use the 18th-century All Writs Act to force Apple to comply, but none are related to terrorism charges and most involve older versions of iOS software.

Apple has officially opposed an order that would require it to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook and will now face off against the government in court on March 22.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: NYPD Chief: Apple Provides Aid to Kidnappers, Robbers, Murderers

 

[Crosscreek]

I think if I were a kidnapper I would use a burner phone.

 

[Sedulous]

And weren't some of these same people who pressured Apple to make it impossible for a "stolen" device to be used by someone else?

 

[bushido]

"I still don't know what made Apple change their minds and decide to actually design a system that made them not able to aid the police," Miller told Catsimatidis.

[...] introduced a bill that, if passed, will require makers of mobile communications devices sold in the state after Jan. 1, 2015 to include technology that can render such devices inoperable when lost or stolen.

[...] The Bill stipulates that the physical action necessary to disable the kill switch may only be taken by the rightful owner of the device or a person designated by the owner; the mobile carrier may not do so

 

[nicovh]

But by making a backdoor, thousands of terrorist attacks will be able to occur.

So what do the dumb baby's of the US Gov. prefer? Potentially gaining a few selfies for a few goofs and gafs, while putting thousands and thousands lives at risk for the sweet pics & "information". Or actually protecting the country's citizens by protecting people from 1000fold the amount of attacks...

It seems like a very very, very hard decision!

Maybe if the american gov. & FBI can use this good ol' thing called common sense, the future will be nice.
And hopefully the rest of america uses their noggins too when Tronald Drumpf is close to becoming president....

 

[mazdamiata210]

If a kidnapper used an iPhone to send a text or make a call then contact the cell carrier and get the records. It's not that hard to figure out. Other than that what else could be on the phone to help aid police in anything? All iMessages are on Apple servers, iCloud backups are given when asked. Everything on the phone is in the backup. People don't think. This is all just a scam. Do you really think that an experienced cyber criminal doesn't know how to hide themselves online? Encryption is everywhere and the bad guys will always have it.

 

[ChristianVirtual]

Every day a new stand-up comedian in public

 

[dan1eln1el5en]

still haven't seen a credible story were iPhones were used as main communication tool to perform crime.

it was said the french shooters used encrypted chats and iPhones...after 24 hours it turned out they had used regular SMS...and yet the police couldn't stop them.
Give us a credible story and evidence that backdoor for governments have been a success and I might change my mind. but until then, no back-doors please

(being "old" I remember how rumors of universal backdoor was always built into all OS and hardware, back in the early 90s...I'm glad to see that it's not the case these days.)

 

[lowendlinux]

That's nice, I thank him for expressing his thoughts.

 

[Gudi]

NYPD: Apple Provides Aid to Kidnappers, Robbers, Murderers

This coming from the same department that defends murderers against criticism from Quentin Tarantino if only the killer is a cop and the victim is an unarmed black man.

 

[Exile714]

I'm trying to wrap my head around a situation where a kidnapper could be foiled by unlocking his phone.

i mean, for one, you have to have possession of the phone first. That means they either dropped it in the act or you know who they are. Second, you have to think the phone contains some plan or information which could then be used to intercept them, which means the kidnapper also has to stick to whatever plans are in his phone even after he loses it.

Makes you wonder how they caught druggies (and yes, let's be perfectly honest, that's the case where 99.9% of phone unlocks will be used) before they used phones to contact their dealers.

 

[rdowns]

It warms my heart to see Americans finally not falling for all this fear crap from the government.

 

[keysofanxiety]

This kind of horse hockey hyperbole from a weak-minded, short-sighted ignoramus only muddies the argument and serves absolutely no purpose. I can't believe they don't consider or appreciate the wider impact of what they're asking.
[doublepost=1457353348][/doublepost]

It warms my heart to see Americans finally not falling for all this fear crap from the government.

Agreed. The FBI thought that bringing this debate public and throwing around terrorist buzzwords would get consumers on their side. I'm infinitely thankful that it bit them back.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

John Miller is an ass.

In his words, he sups with the devil.

 

[shareef777]

That's like saying every car manufacturer is an accomplice to every armed robbery that involved a get away car. Idiot.

 

[technopimp]

I hope he enjoys his (obviously much-needed) time in the press because of his sensationalism and ridiculous hyperbole. He's obviously got his sights on a political office so saying anything that gets him in the news is a good move in his opinion. Even if it makes him look like a complete bafoon.

By his logic, car manufacturers who design cars to be driven by people who are intoxicated are responsible for all of the drunk driving deaths in the country. Shame on you, Ford. Shame on you.

 

[ZombiePete]

That's like saying every car manufacturer is an accomplice to every armed robbery that involved a get away car. Idiot.

Exactly. Where's the outcry over full-disk encryption on laptops, by the way? I guess that's coming next, alongside continued efforts to reduce or eliminate encrypted web communications.

 

[zioxide]

**** this guy.

At least he's honest and open about the fact that he doesn't give one damn about Americans' privacy or information security. I'm sure he'd be singing a different tune if his private photos were leaked or identity thieves drained all his bank accounts and destroyed his credit and identity.

Nothing is preventing law enforcement from doing their job. They're just lazy pricks who want everything done for them now at the click of a button. God forbid they actually have to do a little leg work to build an investigation. Useless clowns sucking on the teat of the taxpayers.

Headline should read: "NYPD Chief wants to aid identity thieves and cybercriminals".

And if he doesn't understand why? Maybe he should go out and educate himself instead of talking out of his rectum like every other law enforcement goon who doesn't understand the technology or implications of designing insecure systems.

 

[nbs2]

It warms my heart to see Americans finally not falling for all this fear crap from the government.

I fear you presume too much, my friend.

 

[einsteinbqat]

Oh for goodness sake… why do police officers, politicians, and other officials not just simply stop using secured and encrypted devices so that we, the people, know if they are corrupted or do their work properly whilst we are at it?! Tax payers should know, after all!

 

[pat500000]

The New York Police Department's counter-terrorism chief John Miller has accused Apple of providing aid to criminals by using encryption to secure its iPhones, according to The Daily News.

Speaking on AM radio host John Catsimatidis's The Cats Roundtable show on Sunday, the deputy commissioner hit out at Apple for its encryption policies, arguing that recent changes to the iPhone operating system had prevented law enforcement from doing its job.

"I still don't know what made Apple change their minds and decide to actually design a system that made them not able to aid the police," Miller told Catsimatidis.

"You are providing aid to the kidnappers, robbers and murders who have actually been recorded on the telephones in Riker's Island telling their compatriots on the outside, 'You gotta get iOS 8. It's a gift from God' - and that's a quote - 'because the cops can't crack it,'" Miller said.

The same account was quoted in last week's U.S. congressional hearing, when New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance claimed that his agency was unable to access 175 iPhones linked to criminal activity that are currently in its possession. Vance added that hundreds of encrypted Apple devices had also been seized in Texas, Illinois and Connecticut, during investigations into serious crimes including human trafficking and sexual assaults.

In the past, Apple has extracted data from iPhones under lawful court orders, but the company stopped storing encryption keys for devices running iOS 8 or later. As a result of this stronger protection, Apple cannot assist the FBI without circumventing iOS security and putting the privacy and safety of its customers at risk.

Last month a U.S. Federal judge ordered Apple to help federal investigators access data on the iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. The U.S. government said at the time that investigators were only seeking access to the iPhone related to the San Bernardino case.

However, reports have since revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice is pursuing additional court orders that would force Apple to help federal investigators extract data from twelve other encrypted iPhones that may contain crime-related evidence.

The 12 cases are similar to the San Bernardino case in that prosecutors have sought to use the 18th-century All Writs Act to force Apple to comply, but none are related to terrorism charges and most involve older versions of iOS software.

Apple has officially opposed an order that would require it to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook and will now face off against the government in court on March 22.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: NYPD Chief: Apple Provides Aid to Kidnappers, Robbers, Murderers

I don't think this chief guy knows what he's talking about. I guess nursing home would fit him nicely.

 

[ephemeralreason]

The New York Police Department's counter-terrorism chief John Miller has accused Apple of providing aid to criminals by using encryption to secure its iPhones, according to The Daily News.

Speaking on AM radio host John Catsimatidis's The Cats Roundtable show on Sunday, the deputy commissioner hit out at Apple for its encryption policies, arguing that recent changes to the iPhone operating system had prevented law enforcement from doing its job.

"I still don't know what made Apple change their minds and decide to actually design a system that made them not able to aid the police," Miller told Catsimatidis.

"You are providing aid to the kidnappers, robbers and murders who have actually been recorded on the telephones in Riker's Island telling their compatriots on the outside, 'You gotta get iOS 8. It's a gift from God' - and that's a quote - 'because the cops can't crack it,'" Miller said.

The same account was quoted in last week's U.S. congressional hearing, when New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance claimed that his agency was unable to access 175 iPhones linked to criminal activity that are currently in its possession. Vance added that hundreds of encrypted Apple devices had also been seized in Texas, Illinois and Connecticut, during investigations into serious crimes including human trafficking and sexual assaults.

In the past, Apple has extracted data from iPhones under lawful court orders, but the company stopped storing encryption keys for devices running iOS 8 or later. As a result of this stronger protection, Apple cannot assist the FBI without circumventing iOS security and putting the privacy and safety of its customers at risk.

Last month a U.S. Federal judge ordered Apple to help federal investigators access data on the iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. The U.S. government said at the time that investigators were only seeking access to the iPhone related to the San Bernardino case.

However, reports have since revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice is pursuing additional court orders that would force Apple to help federal investigators extract data from twelve other encrypted iPhones that may contain crime-related evidence.

The 12 cases are similar to the San Bernardino case in that prosecutors have sought to use the 18th-century All Writs Act to force Apple to comply, but none are related to terrorism charges and most involve older versions of iOS software.

Apple has officially opposed an order that would require it to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook and will now face off against the government in court on March 22.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: NYPD Chief: Apple Provides Aid to Kidnappers, Robbers, Murderers

It'd also be great if we could get rid of the pesky Constituional rights of the accused as well. How much easier would his job be if he could just lock up anyone, indefinitely, until the proper evidence could be manufactured, er . . . found. /sarcasm

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Standard issue for today's society: let's place the blame on someone else.

 

[B4U]

Sounds like blaming the victim of a sexual assault case of going to the bar...
-Edit-
Correction:
More like blaming the bar owner for letting guys go to the bar and prey on the victims.

(Need to avoid typing comments in the early morning...)

 

[thermodynamic]

Both sides have put out loud, entertaining FUD, since some of the crimes listed don't need the capabilities of a smartphone to begin with and especially if one person is working alone (there are ways to find that out fast enough), but it was Apple that decided to turn this into a pseudo-human rights issue/marketing ploy to begin with. Apple's continued tolerance of human rights abuses elsewhere makes any claim of "privacy is a human right we proudly support" ends up coming across as a joke.