The FBI has received a judge’s favourable ruling to force Apple to create a backdoor to an iPhone belonging to one of the so-called San Bernardino shooters.
And the reason the FBI can’t get the data? Because they, themselves changed the passcode…
Here is a detailed Customer Letter from Apple about this issue:
The government asked a court to order Apple to create a unique version of iOS that would bypass security protections on the iPhone Lock screen. It would also add a completely new capability so that passcode tries could be entered electronically.
This has two important and dangerous implications:
First, the government would have us write an entirely new operating system for their use. They are asking Apple to remove security features and add a new ability to the operating system to attack iPhone encryption, 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.
We built strong security into the iPhone because people carry so much personal information on our phones today, and there are new data breaches every week affecting individuals, companies and governments. The passcode lock and requirement for manual entry of the passcode are at the heart of the safeguards we have built in to iOS. It would be wrong to intentionally weaken our products with a government-ordered backdoor. If we lose control of our data, we put both our privacy and our safety at risk.
Second, the order would set a legal precedent that would expand the powers of the government and we simply don’t know where that would lead us. Should the government be allowed to order us to create other capabilities for surveillance purposes, such as recording conversations or location tracking? This would set a very dangerous precedent.
End of quote.
This Letter pulls no punches.
I have said previously this is about those in power being able to surveil all of us at will, and I am not alone in this view. This brief Reality Check video by Ben Swann, in which he interviews John McAfee on the matter, spells it out very clearly. In this video, McAfee explains that he has offered to the FBI to hack this phone, if it really is just this phone they want. But, of course, it’s not and they haven’t replied to his offer.
And in case you are in any doubt, we have Bill Gates backing the FBI (we know where this shareholder in Monsanto and funder of vaccination programmes in India and elsewhere stands) and there have been MSM articles saying the public supports the FBI; well, we know where the MSM stands.
Apple has made it clear it will not back down, whilst Google leaves the barn door wide open with Android. No surprises there, either, if you understand who and what Google is and represents.
And Apple is managing the PR side very well and are willing to go to the Supreme Court if needed, and is pushing for a congressional panel that includes industry experts (that would be a change) to consider these issues, so we’ll see where this goes. It’s been shoved firmly into the spotlight by Apple, and they will fight with everything they have.
Recent Comments