A Message to Our Customers - Apple

[sc_rufctr]

Not really sure what to make of this...

Customer Letter - Apple

February 16, 2016 A Message to Our Customers
The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand.

This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake.

The Need for Encryption
Smartphones, led by iPhone, have become an essential part of our lives. People use them to store an incredible amount of personal information, from our private conversations to our photos, our music, our notes, our calendars and contacts, our financial information and health data, even where we have been and where we are going.

All that information needs to be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it, and use it without our knowledge or permission. Customers expect Apple and other technology companies to do everything in our power to protect their personal information, and at Apple we are deeply committed to safeguarding their data.

Compromising the security of our personal information can ultimately put our personal safety at risk. That is why encryption has become so important to all of us.

For many years, we have used encryption to protect our customers’ personal data because we believe it’s the only way to keep their information safe. We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business.

The San Bernardino Case
We were shocked and outraged by the deadly act of terrorism in San Bernardino last December. We mourn the loss of life and want justice for all those whose lives were affected. The FBI asked us for help in the days following the attack, and we have worked hard to support the government’s efforts to solve this horrible crime. We have no sympathy for terrorists.

When the FBI has requested data that’s in our possession, we have provided it. Apple complies with valid subpoenas and search warrants, as we have in the San Bernardino case. We have also made Apple engineers available to advise the FBI, and we’ve offered our best ideas on a number of investigative options at their disposal.

We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.

Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.

The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.

The Threat to Data Security
Some would argue that building a backdoor for just one iPhone is a simple, clean-cut solution. But it ignores both the basics of digital security and the significance of what the government is demanding in this case.

In today’s digital world, the “key” to an encrypted system is a piece of information that unlocks the data, and it is only as secure as the protections around it. Once the information is known, or a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge.

The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone. But that’s simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks — from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable.

The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals. The same engineers who built strong encryption into the iPhone to protect our users would, ironically, be ordered to weaken those protections and make our users less safe.

We can find no precedent for an American company being forced to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack. For years, cryptologists and national security experts have been warning against weakening encryption. Doing so would hurt only the well-meaning and law-abiding citizens who rely on companies like Apple to protect their data. Criminals and bad actors will still encrypt, using tools that are readily available to them.

A Dangerous Precedent
Rather than asking for legislative action through Congress, the FBI is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority.

The government would have us remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by “brute force,” trying thousands or millions of combinations with the speed of a modern computer.

The implications of the government’s demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone or camera without your knowledge.

Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government.

We are challenging the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications.

While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.

Tim Cook

[widebody911]

Not really sure what to make of this...

I can make a hat, or a brooch, or a pterodactyl...

[stomachmonkey]

Go check PARF.

Being discussed there.

[Rusty Heap]

Originally Posted by widebody911

Not really sure what to make of this...

I can make a hat, or a brooch, or a pterodactyl...

Airplane Move Quote Rep.

[widebody911]

But seriously, making it public was probably the best course of action. Other companies have given in the NSA/CIA/FBI/DHS - willingly or by force, we'll never know. It takes a big brass pair to stand up to the feds, especially in a terrorism investigation. "To protect us from terrorism" has been the excuse every time "they" want to chip away at our rights and freedoms.

[Bob Kontak]

From OP's link:

Phone decryption

On February 9, 2016, the FBI announced that it was unable to unlock one of the mobile phones they recovered, a county-owned iPhone belonging to one of the shooters, due to its sophisticated technology and use of encryption.[174][175] As a result, a federal judge ordered Apple Inc. to provide access of the iPhone's encrypted data to the FBI, following the company's declination to willingly provide assistance.[176] Apple Inc. opposed the order, citing the security risks posed towards their customers.[177]

[VaSteve]

I'm not sure I believe they can't unlock THAT phone. They should. Creating a backdoor to unlock all phones prob sky isn't a good idea.

A dead terrorist has no rights.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Go check PARF.

Being discussed there.

Thanks... I normally don't visit PARF.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Thanks... I normally don't visit PARF.

It's not a PARFED up post.

Would have stayed here if started here.

[jyl]

So how would this be done? Open phone, access pins to memory chips, load new OS directly into memory?

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by jyl

So how would this be done? Open phone, access pins to memory chips, load new OS directly into memory?

You'd connect the phone through a USB port and then use some elaborate software to hack into the stored info.
Similar to using an emulator to play old DOS games on a PC. With the right knowledge and time it could be done.

One thing though... The phone asks you if you want to "trust" the connected PC so how would you get around that?

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by jyl

So how would this be done? Open phone, access pins to memory chips, load new OS directly into memory?

Possible to do it that way.

The OS is on a separate partition from the user/file space and is not encrypted.

[LakeCleElum]

Originally Posted by VaSteve

I'm not sure I believe they can't unlock THAT phone. They should. Creating a backdoor to unlock all phones prob sky isn't a good idea.

A dead terrorist has no rights.

Agree, no rights at all............AND, the phone is owned by the county (employer?)....Seems the county should have some say in this and would be all for obtaining the info on their phone......

[porsche4life]

I have a hard time believing the FBI can't crack it, or turn it over to the NSA. When I was studying computer forensics the FBI claimed they condo recover files from a drive that had been overwritten and erased 7x... If they admit to that what else can they do. They've got some damn good computer geeks there.

[greglepore]

Contrast this thread to the Microsoft thread....

[Baz]

For someone like me who doesn't know much about iPhone software, etc. - can someone explain why Apple cannot just borrow the iPhone in question, get it unlocked, and then hand it back to the FBI on the condition they take out all the info and then destroy the iPhone afterwards.

And Apple can destroy the created software also that helped them unlock that one iPhone.

Info retrieved...software and iPhone destroyed.

Everyone is happy.

[PorscheGAL]

The judge stated Apple should make "reasonable" accommodations to the govt. I am not sure they understand that software takes a lot of time to develop. What is considered reasonable? How many people should be involved? How many man hours is considered reasonable?

I think the govt would have issues with destroying the software once it is developed.

Ideally, if your employer owns your phone, they should have all your passwords or be capable of reading everything on your phone. Corporate America does this. Why should govt employees be any different?

[avi8torny]

I'm not buying the fact that this phone is locked up. Could it be that the Fed's have already seen the inside of this phone and Apple is just playing along as not to diminish the relationship with it's market base with good or bad guys?

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by Baz

For someone like me who doesn't know much about iPhone software, etc. - can someone explain why Apple cannot just borrow the iPhone in question, get it unlocked, and then hand it back to the FBI on the condition they take out all the info and then destroy the iPhone afterwards.

And Apple can destroy the created software also that helped them unlock that one iPhone.

Info retrieved...software and iPhone destroyed.

Everyone is happy.

Do you really think if they are given a back door they will destroy it. Sure they will wink-wink, nudge-nudge.
Many of you miss the point completely. Apple is saying if we unlock this one then the process is out there. Right into the hands of terrorists. Many who say "I have nothing to hide" don't realize what an idiotic statement that is.
You guys really need to go back and read your history books, this is one of the KEY POINTS of WW2 and nazism, fascism and communism.

Unlocking any official will know your sexual history and orientation, medical history, your political affiliations, your religion, race, your causes, who your friends are, your business contacts and dealings, prototype designs, national secrets...the list is endless.

There are items in the above lists that you were sent to concentration camps, dragged out of you bed and murdered, ostracized, employment curtailed, insurance denied, wealth stolen and spied upon. Again the list is endless.
My mom's family who was upper middle class british, (she's a middle class canadian war bride) would never put a election sign on the front lawn because historically you could get lynched just for the party you supported.

People don't realize how dangerous things like FB, twitter, phones, smart TV's etc., really are and that they're are the greatest assets that the CIA, Homeland Security and terrorists could have ever dreamed of.

The brave men and women who gave their lives for freedom in WW2 and beyond are rolling in their graves.


.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Mark Henry

Do you really think if they are given a back door they will destroy it. Sure they will wink-wink, nudge-nudge.---snip---
.

Not sure if you understood my question.

I'm not asking why it shouldn't be done.

I'm asking why it couldn't be done.

Go into a back room - get it done - then destroy the software and iPhone.

No cameras....just a couple lab guys and an independent observer. No identities given - no locations given - total covert operation. Nothing ever mention to the media or public again.

Just like it never happened.....