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Of course Mr. Cook says that he will fight the order. Otherwise he has to admit that the facilities already exist and always have existed. Anybody that believes Apple's stance on privacy and that even they can't get into the phone is either deluded or extremely naive.
Vs what your truth??
 
How many daily attacks do we face that could have been stopped by weaker encryption.

Lots. You'd be shocked. Most people have no idea how many enemies we face, how hard others work to protect us from those enemies, and how much goes on behind the scenes so that ordinary folks can live their daily lives without fear.

I was in the military branch of NSA. Every single day there was information that was critical towards figuring out what was going to happen in the future. Every week there was a potential crisis that was only averted by having enough information. And that goes both ways, interestingly. For example, Warsaw Pact generals have said that if they had not known via spying, that NATO had zero offensive plans against them, then the Fall of the Berlin Wall would not have happened.

Listen up. Seventy years later, most people now know that a primary factor in winning WW-II was the higher than top secret work of electronic intercepters and code breakers. Without them, the war would've lasted years longer, and likely ended up with Germany having time to develop the Bomb along with intercontinental delivery methods, and that would've been A Really Bad Thing.

Strong encryption does not make us safer. It makes the job of those trying to protect us and keep us free to do what we want, much more difficult. Perhaps even impossible.

Except that's not what the government is asking for. Apple can't break the encryption. They are asking for Apple to create a new version of iOS that disables certain security protections, install it on the phone, and then hand it over to the FBI. The FBI will then likely get the NSA to brute force the encryption. So now we have multiple agencies with access to the modified OS.

Normally I agree with Franklin that those who give up some essential freedom in return for security, deserve neither. But this is not such a case. It's a valid warrant and need, and there some way should be found to work it out.

Frankly, I'm okay with NSA getting that kind of power, but not the FBI. The FBI has a long history of actively misusing information on various internal groups. NSA has a long history of using information only to protect the country from outsiders. Yes, sometimes they want to collect lots of extra info to sift though, but NSA personnel are overwhelmingly freedom loving people and don't care what people are doing in their personal lives. It's not what their purpose is. They're not directed internally.

Perhaps we need a new organization, one that is overseen by both intelligence and civilian personnel, with strict rules known to all employees, Congressional oversight and court approvals per device intrusion request. Oh wait, that's what NSA already is.
 
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As far as I understood the FBI needs access to just this phone. I think Apple blew this for marketing reasons entirely out of proportion. If they (Apple) are able to access the data on that phone they should just help the FBI in a way that this is a one time only event. The FBI can deliver this phone to apple and they could have pulled the data off the phone in one of their secret labs and then hand back the phone and separately the data. No need to give the FBI a general key.
The FBI doesn't need access to this phone. That a BS excuse. The governerment has been looking for a test case to force Apple into destroying the security they have incorporated into the phone. Any information on this particular phone is long past being of any use. Everyone that may have been contacted have long since covered their tracks. And since the criminal that committed the terrorist act has been captured, convicted, sentenced as the dozens of bullets passed through his body. There is no one left to prosecute.
If you have nothing to hide, please make sure you don't use pass key or fingerprint ID on your own phone. As for the rest of the 700 million users, we like the security of knowing no one can access my phone, including the government. Terrorists can kill another thousands of people and I will still not be ready to give up my constitutional rights. To many have been taken away already. Writ of habeous corpus, arrest without charges, refusal to see a judge or lawyer. All thanks to the Patriot Act. A rather ironic name for something the Patriots would have railed against.
 
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I am not a terrorist, I guess thats why. And if someone had the info on my phone it would be pretty boring. Also most of it is in the icloud, flickr and so on anyway so whats the rest that doesn't go through public network that is so secret?

I doubt your banking info on your phone would be boring to some.
 
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What's wrong with guns? Gun ownership is up and gun crime is down...

Yeah the problem with percentages is that it hides the real numbers.

Gun homicides (average annually)
  1. Less than 50: Japan
    Less than 150: Germany, Italy, France, etc.
    Less than 200: Canada
    More than 10,000: USA
    Source: IANSA International Action Network on Small Arms of the United Nations

    I'd check your graphs actual validity. According to http://heedinggodscall.org/content/pfctoolkit-10
    gun ownership is on the decline.

    But what do I know? I'm just a dumb Australian who understands that guns kill people, not iPhones.

 
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This story was on our national news on television tonight, and as they said the FBI will just go to the higher courts, I would think if it's like other countries then if the FBI is handling an official criminal investigation, which I imagine it is, then Apple can be held for obstructing those investigations which I believe is a possible jail sentence, Tim Cook goes to jail, now that would be something.
And I doubt going crying to the government will help them either.

I was wondering about this too. But he can get it both ways. For all we know, he could have already authorized the backdoor secretly. If nobody goes to jail for this, I'm going to assume that that's what happened.
 
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Sorry Tim , I think you draw the wrong line. Supporting terrorism is just plain wrong. Any righteous person has nothing to hide from the government.

This is a dangerous line of reasoning. In order for this to work the government gets to define what "righteous" is. What happens when they move the goalposts in five or ten years? What's deemed righteous today could be much different down the road.

Approaching this concept a bit differently, letting a government define what is righteous, good and just opens the door to an unacceptable amount of control over our personal lives. Given the option, almost any government, Federal, state and local, will jump at the chance to do this, not because they are evil, but because they are made up of individuals who are self-interested in maintaining and growing whatever department or bureaucracy they are a part of. Tim Cook understands that this is the real heart of the issue.

Put more simply, politicians tend to be short-sighted and more interested in growing their careers than making the best decisions for the long-term health of the State. The FBI agents involved in this case are probably more worried about potential career advancements than how creating encryption backdoors could undermine the safety of millions of americans. Ten bucks says they don't even understand how public/private key encryption works.
 
Yeah the problem with percentages is that it hides the real numbers.

Gun homicides (average annually)
  1. Less than 50: Japan
    Less than 150: Germany, Italy, France, etc.
    Less than 200: Canada
    More than 10,000: USA
    Source: IANSA International Action Network on Small Arms of the United Nations

    I'd check your graphs actual validity. According to http://heedinggodscall.org/content/pfctoolkit-10
    gun ownership is on the decline.

    But what do I know? I'm just a dumb Australian who understands that guns kill people, not iPhones.
The problem is that the USA is big. Check the gun homicide rate vs gun ownership and overall homicide rate per state in the USA. You'll find that gun homicide correlates almost exactly with overall homicide and inversely with gun ownership. That's probably because gun ownership is higher in rural areas, which also have fewer homicides because they're rural. Also, check overall homicide rate per nation. The USA just has more crime.

I'm not saying gun ownership increases or decreases homicide rate. There's nothing that would show that either is true.
 
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Oh. If it was heavily discussed on MacRumors then it must be true. My bad. (None of that is true though.)

I think it is your bad actually, because most of what was said was common sense and obvious, perhaps you would enlighten us further on how it all works then as you implied I was wrong?

I am sure that's the only possible explanation. Unless the exploit is detailed to you personally, it does not exist.

You make no sense? So you are agreeing their is no exploit? Apple made it up?

And what is your stance on keeping privacy and by default supporting terrorism for that privacy?
 
This thread needs more cool heads.

1) If you think Apple has a backdoor and they're not sharing it, you're deluded.
2) If you think iOS is the most secure thing ever, you're not looking hard enough.

I've heard in another forum that someone mentioned that the Russians already know how to hack into the iOS platform, so clearly #2 would be right. It's certainly not the most secure OS. It's good but not perfectly solid.

For Apple to make a claim that they don't have a backdoor, they would have to prove it to the Feds that they don't, otherwise if they really did in contrary to what Tim said, that's perjury.

edit: If the Russians already figured it out, they would've gone to them, but of course in a compromise that has to be made.
 
This is a dangerous line of reasoning. In order for this to work the government gets to define what "righteous" is. What happens when they move the goalposts in five or ten years? What's deemed righteous today could be much different down the road.
Well, it's already the case that the police can get a warrant to search your home. A warrant isn't even necessary if there is an obvious reason to enter. And yes, digital security is different, but not when physical access is required. I would definitely oppose remote backdoors, but if the government is holding an iPhone from a sentenced criminal, I think they should be able to have it unlocked.
 
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I was wondering about this too. But he can get it both ways. For all we know, he could have already authorized the backdoor secretly. If nobody goes to jail for this, I'm going to assume that that's what happened.

That would make sense, but then they could also have kept it all hush hush and no one would ever know, which would have been better as terrorists would continue to use iPhones that security agencies could access.
I guess we will know if Apple gets a warning from the courts in the next few days.
 
After reading through these 550 entries I am looking for and the one thing that is missing:
The FBI doesn't want this to prevent a crime or convict a suspect, they want it just to add to the knowledge they already have in regards to this event not even knowing if it anything, if it is worthwhile, or even if it is anything new.

Great stance Apple.
 
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Oh, that's easy. Lock your phone. Try unlocking it. It will show you how many digits. I haven't tried an alphanumeric key, but you will see on the lock screen. After all, the original user has to be able to type the key.

Alpha Numeric key just shows you a space to type in your code. No spaces, just a blank field. It's what I use.
 
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Well, it's already the case that the police can get a warrant to search your home. A warrant isn't even necessary if there is an obvious reason to enter. And yes, digital security is different, but not when physical access is required. I would definitely oppose remote backdoors, but if the government is holding an iPhone from a sentenced criminal, I think they should be able to have it unlocked.

If the criminal is already sentenced, then unless that criminal is indicted on other charges, unlocking the phone would be irrelevant. The government already proved and provided the evidence that a jury needed to reach a guilty verdict for the criminal; all without the need to access the data on the iPhone. And for that second indictment, if they have the iPhone, they have to prove that the phone contains the data that they need. If they can't do that, they don't get access to that phone.

Relevant to the 4th and 5th Amendment, the government can't simply say "We're holding you until you give us access to your data so we can prove that you committed the crime!" That is the exact reason why the 5th Amendment is there; the government needs to prove with the evidence they have gathered that doesn't cause the defendant to self-incriminate that the defendant did what they are accused of doing.

BL.
 
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Lots. You'd be shocked. Most people have no idea how many enemies we face, how hard others work to protect us from those enemies, and how much goes on behind the scenes so that ordinary folks can live their daily lives without fear.

I was in the military branch of NSA. Every single day there was information that was critical towards figuring out what was going to happen in the future. Every week there was a potential crisis that was only averted by having enough information. And that goes both ways, interestingly. For example, Warsaw Pact generals have said that if they had not known via spying, that NATO had zero offensive plans against them, then the Fall of the Berlin Wall would not have happened.

Listen up. Seventy years later, most people now know that a primary factor in winning WW-II was the higher than top secret work of electronic intercepters and code breakers. Without them, the war would've lasted years longer, and likely ended up with Germany having time to develop the Bomb along with intercontinental delivery methods, and that would've been A Really Bad Thing.

Strong encryption does not make us safer. It makes the job of those trying to protect us and keep us free to do what we want, much more difficult. Perhaps even impossible.



Normally I agree with Franklin that those who give up some essential freedom in return for security, deserve neither. But this is not such a case. It's a valid warrant and need, and there some way should be found to work it out.

Frankly, I'm okay with NSA getting that kind of power, but not the FBI. The FBI has a long history of actively misusing information on various internal groups. NSA has a long history of using information only to protect the country from outsiders. Yes, sometimes they want to collect lots of extra info to sift though, but NSA personnel are overwhelmingly freedom loving people and don't care what people are doing in their personal lives. It's not what their purpose is. They're not directed internally.

Perhaps we need a new organization, one that is overseen by both intelligence and civilian personnel, with strict rules known to all employees, Congressional oversight and court approvals per device intrusion request. Oh wait, that's what NSA already is.
Secrets and spying are the root of all the evil. The attempt by the founding fathers to have an open government with a free press and guaranteeing basic rights is an experiment in progress. Short term gains of stoping this or that attack, are no reason to sacrifice long term and hard fought rights.

History has shown time and time again, regardless of the reasons, secrecy, spying is never contained to others. The Snowden documents have shown the rampant disregard the NSA has, along with other agencies it limiting their spying. I'm not ok for any agency to have these powers unsupervised by The People and a Free Press. The route to fascism is slippery incremental slope, always justified each step of the way, till what you started out to protect, is completely destroyed.

As for Germany developing an atomic weapon, they were no where near the right path. Most of the theoretical physicists had defected to the allies. And the heavy water route that Germany was pursuing would not have yealded a weapon even in another five years. Breaking the Enigma code did shorten the war. But the notion expounded by some that Germany was near making an atomic bomb are propaganda to justify points of view not based on reality of the situation.
 
Yes, apparently according to Apple themselves, a third party repair shop can easily hack your phone and it's encryption by replacing a dodgy finger print scanner, yet the ENTIRE US government and it's CIA and FBI and other law enforcement departments can't hack your device... :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Apple really talks out of its bottom sometimes, and for the record I'm not with Apple on this one.
The price of freedom you enjoy everyday is to give up privacy for the freedom to be protected, don't like it then be prepared to lose some of that freedom.
And it's disgusting Apple is talking rubbish when vital evidence is being requested to prove someone innocent or guilty, what if the guy is innocent but gets the death sentence, who cares right when you don't know them, but that nasty government won't spy on you...
Or what if he's guilty and walks free and kills Tim Cook, what would you say then when accessing his iPhone would have produced evidence to send them to jail?

Well America if you vote Trump in I think the government spying on you is the least of your problems anyway.

I'm sure if there was something on the phone that proved him innocent I bet he would volunteer to unlock his phone.
 
What the heck do the US gun laws have to do with Apple's protecting the privacy of its customers? I don't own a gun & never would. But, that has no relationship whatsoever to the issue at hand.

If the gov't is given a backdoor into iOS devices they will abuse it. And, criminals, terrorists, and other governments would eventually gain access to it. There are areas of the world where freedom of speech doesn't exist, and people would be persecuted simply because of the data on their phones. Apple may be an American company, but this is a worldwide issue that goes far beyond the privacy of US citizens. (Although, that privacy alone is reason enough for Apple's courageous response to the gov't.)

Apple's taken the correct stance, and I applaud them for it!
 
If the criminal is already sentenced, then unless that criminal is indicted on other charges, unlocking the phone would be irrelevant. The government already proved and provided the evidence that a jury needed to reach a guilty verdict for the criminal; all without the need to access the data on the iPhone. And for that second indictment, if they have the iPhone, they have to prove that the phone contains the data that they need. If they can't do that, they don't get access to that phone.

Relevant to the 4th and 5th Amendment, the government can't simply say "We're holding you until you give us access to your data so we can prove that you committed the crime!" That is the exact reason why the 5th Amendment is there; the government needs to prove with the evidence they have gathered that doesn't cause the defendant to self-incriminate that the defendant did what they are accused of doing.

BL.
The purpose isn't to find evidence against the criminal but to discover his motives, connections, and whatever else he might've been hiding. Same reason the FBI wants this iPhone unlocked.
 
Lots. You'd be shocked. Most people have no idea how many enemies we face, how hard others work to protect us from those enemies, and how much goes on behind the scenes so that ordinary folks can live their daily lives without fear.

I was in the military branch of NSA. Every single day there was information that was critical towards figuring out what was going to happen in the future. Every week there was a potential crisis that was only averted by having enough information. And that goes both ways, interestingly. For example, Warsaw Pact generals have said that if they had not known via spying, that NATO had zero offensive plans against them, then the Fall of the Berlin Wall would not have happened.

Listen up. Seventy years later, most people now know that a primary factor in winning WW-II was the higher than top secret work of electronic intercepters and code breakers. Without them, the war would've lasted years longer, and likely ended up with Germany having time to develop the Bomb along with intercontinental delivery methods, and that would've been A Really Bad Thing.

Strong encryption does not make us safer. It makes the job of those trying to protect us and keep us free to do what we want, much more difficult. Perhaps even impossible.



Normally I agree with Franklin that those who give up some essential freedom in return for security, deserve neither. But this is not such a case. It's a valid warrant and need, and there some way should be found to work it out.

Frankly, I'm okay with NSA getting that kind of power, but not the FBI. The FBI has a long history of actively misusing information on various internal groups. NSA has a long history of using information only to protect the country from outsiders. Yes, sometimes they want to collect lots of extra info to sift though, but NSA personnel are overwhelmingly freedom loving people and don't care what people are doing in their personal lives. It's not what their purpose is. They're not directed internally.

Perhaps we need a new organization, one that is overseen by both intelligence and civilian personnel, with strict rules known to all employees, Congressional oversight and court approvals per device intrusion request. Oh wait, that's what NSA already is.

Maybe the NSA should open up and show the public that they are indeed doing everything you claim and that it is indeed effective. After all, if they aren't doing anything wrong, then they should have no issue with full public transparency. Until then, it's just a bunch of empty words.
 
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Tim Cook is a hypocrite. He'll use loopholes in tax law to save money but when a judge tells them to help the FBI, it is "a moment for discussion."
And who wrote those loopholes? Tim didn't make them up. Just watch the squealing when next president goes to close those loopholes. They weren't paid for and written for just Apple you know.
 
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