“Apple has sent its top privacy executives to Australia twice in the past month to lobby government officials over proposed new laws that would require companies to provide access to encrypted messages,” Tim Hardwick writes for MacRumors.
“Apple has consistently argued against laws that would require tech companies to build so-called ‘back doors’ into their software, claiming that such a move would weaken security for everyone and simply make terrorists and criminals turn to open-source encryption methods for their digital communications,” Hardwick writes. “‘If the government laid a subpoena to get iMessages, we can’t provide it,’ CEO Tim Cook said in 2014. ‘It’s encrypted and we don’t have a key.'”
“As it happens, Cook’s comment only applies to iMessages that aren’t backed up to the cloud: Apple doesn’t have access to messages sent between devices because they’re end-to-end encrypted, but if iCloud Backup is enabled those messages are encrypted on Apple’s servers using an encryption key that the company has access to and could potentially provide to authorities,” Hardwick writes. “However, Apple is moving… to make encryption keys entirely private. As announced at WWDC in June, macOS High Sierra and iOS 11 will synchronize iMessages across devices signed into the same account using iCloud and a new encryption method that ensures the keys stay out of Apple’s hands.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Here’s to iCloud becoming fully end-to-end encrypted!
Again, people who willingly subjugate themselves to government, regardless of how beneficent or harmless or whateverthefuck they perceive their government to be, are utterly ignorant of history.
Encryption is binary; it’s either on or off. You cannot have both. You either have privacy via full encryption or you don’t by forcing back doors upon Apple or anybody else. It’s all or nothing. — MacDailyNews, March 8, 2017
We’d bet Australia will go without iPhones before Apple destroys the iOS platform by building in back doors.
There have been people that suggest that we should have a back door. But the reality is if you put a back door in, that back door’s for everybody, for good guys and bad guys. — Apple CEO Tim Cook
Strong encryption without back doors or U.S. companies’ tech products will be eschewed around the world. — MacDailyNews, January 15, 2016
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. – Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
SEE ALSO:
Apple flies in top executives to lobby Australia’s Turnbull government on encryption laws – July 19, 2017
Apple meeting with Australian government to discuss proposed encryption ‘back doors’ – July 18, 2017
What WikiLeaks’ CIA data dump tells us: Encryption works – March 11, 2017
WikiLeaks reveals CIA’s global covert hacking program targeting Apple iPhone, Google Android, Microsoft Windows and even Samsung TVs – March 7, 2017
Proving Apple’s assertion that there are no good backdoors, hacker dumps iOS cracking tools allegedly stolen from Cellebrite – February 2, 2017
A hacker just proved that Apple was right to worry about creating a backdoor to the iPhone – January 13, 2017
Apple CEO Tim Cook touts encryption at Senator Orrin Hatch’s Utah Tech Tour – October 3, 2016
Feckless FBI unable to unlock iPhone, even with a ‘fingerprint unlock warrant’ – May 12, 2016
FBI’s Comey says agency paid more than $1 million to access San Bernadino iPhone – April 21, 2016
Nothing significant found on San Bernardino’s terrorist’s iPhone – April 14, 2016
FBI director confirms hack only works on older iPhones that lack Apple’s Secure Enclave – April 7, 2016
Apple responds to FBI: ‘This case should have never been brought’ – March 29, 2016
Apple CEO Cook: ‘You can’t have a back door that’s only for the good guys’ – November 21, 2015
Now Apple is going to stop the U.S. government from getting into iCloud data, too – March 28, 2016
Apple park Apple Store ships along the borders of those countries and give them the big middle finger, until they take their heads out of their butts.
Citizens are industrious and will find ways to “import” anything. Stay the line on privacy and security, you won’t lose any business. People will know their county leaders don’t care about them.
Those who don’t care, deserve low/no security/privacy.
Trust me, I’m a politician—your unencrypted data are safe with me.
That’s right, you’re only here to help.
I totally agree with you, that you cannot have a back door to encryption. However, what would Apple do if countries start to ban iPhones, because the security agencies cannot look at the data?
Australia – Population of 25m – Not a big deal for Apple
China – 1.3B – Back door is going in folks!
If the lack of “Backdoor” starts to hurt the bottom line then the backdoor unfortunately will go in.
With time, the techTards in charge of abusing citizens for the sake of totalitarian surveillance will have their asses handed to them. Backdoors are a wide open invitation to hacking. You’d think these asshats would have had enough of gaping security holes in operating systems and other software.
Sadly, as we all know…
My 2012 Mini has been my main TV Box for about 4.5 years now. And I’ve keep upgrading it, as much as possible, via external drives, and finally, and external SSD as the Mac HD main drive (and that is a much faster drive, even on USB 3.0).
My fear has been that my use case isn’t in-line with Apple’s in the way they want to market Apple TV. I’m basically using a Mac Mini as a TV box. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but won’t be surprised if they discontinue it. And on that day I’ll quickly order some backups ASAP.
Added to the wrong article! Browser Tab Party Fail! My apologies!
A back door to Apple gedgets in Australia will give the back door to the US’s NSA too. This may be the plan.
Exactly. The NSA have ‘form’ eavesdropping (spying) on senior foreign politicians — even close allies.
Turnbull and his crooked government should be very careful what they wish for — as they themselves are candidates to be the first victims in Australia of ‘backdoor violations’! 😂
And the consortium of Aus., NZ, BG, US, and Canada spy agencies share data between themselves which would otherwise still be illegal to collect in their own nation.
The back door has two loopholes: 1. The one I mentioned, and 2. Each makes sure to collect data on their own citizens that would be illegal to collect in another country, thus covering, once shared, absolutely all citizens residing within the consortium’s borders. This means each and every person is spied upon no matter if legal or not.
Never Give In, Apple ! ! !
Please figure out the ramifications of your techTardiness, Aus.