Written by: Tiobe
Perhaps the best accidental endorsement of security with Apple’s iOS 8 and Android’s Lollipop operating system are statements made by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) disparaging the level of encryption.
“What concerns me about this is companies marketing something expressly to allow people to place themselves beyond the law,” FBI Director James Comey told reporters last September. “I like and believe very much that we should have to obtain a warrant from an independent judge to be able to take the content of anyone’s closet or their smart phone. The notion that someone would market a closet that could never be opened — even if it involves a case involving a child kidnapper and a court order — to me does not make any sense.”
Comey’s comments were in direct response to Apple changing the encryption of its new operating system to make users’ personal data impossible to retrieve, even if served with a warrant. Google quickly followed suit with its latest Android platform.
Apple and Google are likely acting in response to pressure from consumers, and it is very possible consumers differ from Comey on the definition of “independent court.”
Earlier this year, Yahoo, Inc. released thousand of pages of previously classified documents to the public from a 2007-2008 court case with the National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA requested Yahoo hand over user data, and when Yahoo refused, the NSA took the case before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), a secret court made up of 11 federal district judges and no obligation for public disclosure. FISC ruled Yahoo was legally obligated to comply with the NSA demand, and when Yahoo appealed this decision, it was faced with fines to the tune of $250,000 per day initially and set to double weekly. At that rate, Yahoo would have been insolvent in less than 100 days, and thus was forced to comply with NSA’s demands.
The case led to rumors that Apple had a “back door” in its operating system that allowed agencies like the FBI and NSA to retrieve user data at will.
“None of that is true, zero. We would never allow that to happen. They would have to cart us out in a box before we would do that,” responded Apple CEO Tim Cook. “I think people have a right to privacy.”
Cook’s sentiment might be noble, echoed by Apple consumers, and protected legally by the U.S. Constitution before the advent of the U.S. Patriot Act of 2001, but for the FBI, tasked with catching terrorists and pedophiles, it might go “too far.”
“I get that the post-Snowden world has started an understandable pendulum swing. What I’m worried about is, this is an indication to us as a country and as a people that, boy, maybe that pendulum swung too far,” Comey stated.
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Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/25/james-comey-apple-encryption_n_5882874.html
http://www.latesthackingnews.com/2014/11/20/police-hate-new-apple-google-smartphones/
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/09/15/apples-cook-your-data-is-not-our-business/
Was it not long ago that Several Places, and i Beleave Pennsylvania was one of them, NO longer have to have Search Warrants To search Someones Property (vehicles Atleast)? And didn’t the FBI say they did not need warrants to Snoop on private email, social network messages? Or is this Statement Literally just for ‘closet or their smart phone’? All those Letters of the same Alphabet and still no Communication.
Normally I would be on the cops side of this. but cops always ignore the law and do whatever the heck they wanna do, and then try to escape punishment by using “nice words.” You cops have no right to complain. its none of your business anyways. no laws are broke, so buzz off
As I have said a million times, if I wanted to commit a terrorist act on US soil I would 1) Employ the same US governmental agency that orchestrated 9/11 2) Employ the US Congress, because they have been commuting acts of terror against Americans for decades 3) Enlist the help of US law enforcement, because terror is their new trick. I would never use electronic communications because I expect my Constitutional rights to be violated. Also, the IRA and the Taliban have been very effective with good old face to face and written communications. Plus, FUCK THE NSA AND FBI!!!!
well the feds are up in arms about the level of encryption on some smart phones? boo fucking hoo!the sods are well known for illegal wiretapping! they rely on rumour and innuendo! they seem to have forgotten just who they serve! the American People! not themselves,not the US Government,and NOT the corporations!
for years there leader J.Edgar Hoover denied there was a maffai,why? because they had real dirt on him!
Isn’t it a person’s right to privacy and a presumption of innocence over guilt that is really the fundamental law here. These law agencies would love to live in the world where they have the absolute right to invade anyone’s privacy they so wished. Since they generally seem to have governments on their side against the rights of the citizen it’s nice to see big companies like Apple and Google actually help a citizen protect his rights against an invasive state surveillance mechanism. Law, two can play at that game.
The pendulum should always swing too far to the rights of people! Too many rights have been willingly given up out of fear and now the people want control again. We realize it just wasn’t worth it.
Just remember to always have both root access on phone and more than one cloud back-up, including a re-poster service that repost’s all images/video’s from Cloud account to another.
That way if Cops do get access and try to delete stuff, part of the network is not connected to phone.
It’s about time. Some of us have been using PGP-type encryption on our media streams for a while. It’s refreshing to see major players do likewise.
BlackBerry is the terror comms device of choice. Encrypted since inception.
How ironic. If encryption is beyond the law, then the law is above the law… Looks like a paradox to me.
Are you SURE the cops really hate Lollipop? Are you SURE it’s not just more propaganda to sucker people into lowering their guard, believing they can be secure from eavesdropping by intelligence agencies only to be betrayed? Has anyone really looked under the hood to see what makes it tick? Put it through a full security audit?
Say what you like. I remain skeptical.
Z
Exactly my thoughts I don’t trust anyone!