Privacy vs Security: fight!

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

Apple likely to invoke free-speech rights in encryption fight
...
NYC police: Criminals say Apple encryption a ‘gift from God’

It's the eternal fight, isn't it. Civil rights like personal privacy and free speech against public concerns like national security.

The bottom-line is elsewhere, though. Apple would certainly help the government open a terrorist's encrypted cellphone, or do anything it pleases really, if the government allows Apple to repatriate the billions in profits it now holds overseas.

It's because Apple's bottom-line is the same as that of any other corporation: it cares about money first and foremost. It's highly doubtful that what they are truly concerned about is high-minded ideals like liberty, freedom and privacy. These are only tangentially related to their business, as long as it's what the majority of their customers espouse.

That said, once the government finally gets the de-encryption tools, who's to say how they might proceed using it.

Of course, there's then the fact that Jihadist terrorism is more of a nuisance rather than an existential threat to national welfare - if we look at the stats, that is. We've talked about this before. More people are killed in school shootings per week than in Jihadist terrorist attacks per decade. But yeah - nuance and perspective, who cares about them?

If I were this Apple guy, I'd reject the notion of designing software to beat my own encryption tools. I mean, once Teh Gubmint gets their paws on the de-encryption tool, what would be its worth for iPhones and the like? My bet would be on zilch.

Comments

[oportet.livejournal.com]

Well now the story is out in the open, and however it ends will be out in the open too. It's like announcing when and where you're going to set up a roadblock.

So when Apple gives in, maybe we'll learn what cleric inspired the San Bernadino shooters - but also be back to square one as far as figuring out how and where terrorists and potential terrorists store and exchange information.

But, I'm sure someone with more information than I have has already weighed the pros and cons of putting all of this out in the open......or at least I'm going to pretend that has happened.

[leo-sosnine.livejournal.com]

It just so happened that caring about money they manage to produce a smartphone that's good for end-users. Nice. And where can I find information on smartphones produced by government, which, I suppose, doesn't care about money first and foremost?

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

[garote]

Ask google. They're a pretty good reflection of what the government would endorse - the ability to extract and track any data you generate, on any device, in any context.

Google does it for advertising dollars rather than a pretense of "national security", but either way they just so happen to construct networks and software that allow both.

Which is why identify theft and malware are almost entirely an Android problem, and not an iOS problem.

Regardless, the government's case is going to be based on something else - telecom laws. But they will have an ugly fight ahead because a smartphone is a lot more than a data transmission line, and for some applications, not a transmission line at all.

Personally, I find it hilarious that we are (apparently) guaranteed by the constitution to have access to firearms for "self defense" and "defense from the government", but may not be allowed access to basic software products that protect our speech in the same way, because THAT would be ... too hard or something.