DOJ: A child will die due to Apple's iOS 8 encryption tech

Posted:
in General Discussion edited December 2014
During a closed-door meeting in October, Deputy Attorney General James Cole told Apple its recently implemented iMessage encryption technology will one day result in a dead child, according to a report published Wednesday.



Citing people who were at the Oct. 1 meeting, The Wall Street Journal reports Cole drew a grim picture for Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell and others in attendance, saying the company is marketing to criminals.

As paraphrased by the publication, Cole reportedly read a portion of Apple's privacy webpage, which says the company is incapable of accessing data stored on hardware running iOS 8 as it no longer stores encryption keys. Apple repeats the claim in a guide to filling out government requests for customer data.

This, the DOJ second in command said, will one day result in the death of a child. Police will say they could have used information stored on an iPhone to save the child or stopped the perpetrator, Cole predicted.

Sewell called the theoretical circumstance inflammatory and inaccurate, pointing out police have more tools at their disposal when it comes to gleaning information from mobile devices. For example, phone records can be traced through cellular carriers, while other information may be found through iCloud or other storage services that are not subject to the same encryption policies. Just last week a report claimed the DOJ spies on mobile phone owners with airplane-mounted "dirtboxes" that scrape user ID data by posing as cell phone towers.

When asked why Apple can't create a backdoor to be used by law enforcement agents acting with proper court approval, Sewell said, "We can't create a key that only the good guys can use."

News of the October meeting comes as U.S. government agencies struggle to strike a balance between public sentiment and overcoming emerging consumer privacy technology that thwarts their own law enforcement operations. Days before Cole allegedly laid out his prediction to Apple, FBI Director James Comey said iOS 8 put users "above the law" and Apple was actively marketing that fact.

In the same interview, Comey alluded to a child's kidnapping, suggesting relevant information may one day save a life if provided in a timely manner. Comey further elucidated on the topic by using a real life example in a subsequent one-on-one with 60 Minutes less than two weeks later.

The situation isn't one that is new to Apple. Last year, it came to light that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency was having trouble breaking Apple's iMessage encryption even when a legitimate warrant was served.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 156

    THINK OF THE DIGITAL CHILDREN

     

    The Department of Injustice needs a probe. And not just a metaphorical one.

  • Reply 2 of 156
    Wow. I have no words.

    How did LEOs ever get anything solved before technology?
  • Reply 3 of 156
    I prefer the Mikey Campbell click bait headlines that read: "Apple encryption predicted to murder children as Samsung Galaxy surges ahead!" :)
  • Reply 4 of 156

    As a counter, everyone who is a victim of crime should sue the hell out of the DOJ for letting any crime happen in the first place. By having access to all information in the world, the DOJ should be able to prevent all crime thus saving all children. It's funny how moronic logic turned upside-down feels good.

  • Reply 5 of 156
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    So what? Let the children die.

     

    Freedom from tyranny is worth more than any child's life.

     

    Doesn't the DOJ have more important things to do, like running guns into Mexico, and sympathizing with scumbag criminals who are shot dead by the police in various small towns?:no: 

     

    Apple should tell the DOJ to take a hike, and it seems like they have.

  • Reply 6 of 156
    Apple eats puppies.
  • Reply 7 of 156
    I wish that they had thought about this before lying to congress, the American people and our allies. If they had worked out a transparent legal framework instead of trying to collect everything and hiding behind the FISA court and hidden laws no one can challenge people would have been ok with the government having limited, selective access. If a child does die, it will be in no small part because of the government (Dems and Republicans) and its alphabet soup of agencies who have destroyed the 4th amendment.
  • Reply 8 of 156
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Robin Huber View Post



    Apple eats puppies.



    No, no, Steve Ballmer eats puppies.

  • Reply 9 of 156
    wigbywigby Posts: 692member
    So only one dead child stands between all of our privacy and security?

    Sorry kid.
  • Reply 10 of 156

    I see that the state still can't resist going to the "it's for the children" well when they need to misdirect and excuse skulduggery.

  • Reply 11 of 156
    OMFG!!!
  • Reply 12 of 156
    Putting your child in your car and driving it somewhere is probably its greatest chance of getting killed. Thousands of innocent children are killed every year in automobile accidents. Would the DOJ like to recommend that children never again be put in automobiles?

    Eating also kills children. Thousands of children die every year from choking on hotdogs, grapes, and other food which blocks their windpipes. Would the DOJ like to recommend that children stop eating? Or perhaps they would like to recommend that parents chew their food and regurgitate it into their child's mouth as though it were a baby sparrow.

    Thousands of children die in swimming pools, lakes, and bathtubs each year due to unexpected drowning. Would the DOJ like to recommend that exposing children to water be permanently banned?

    These sound like ridiculous arguments, but they all come down to the issue of "justifiable risk." We take risks every day and put our children in harm's way every day because we believe the risk to be justifiable, that the benefits outweigh the potential risks. In the wake of the NSA's transgressions, public opinion is likely to see iPhone encryption as "worth the risk." If the DOJ is going to trot out the "do it for the children" trope, they are going to need to go beyond the soundbite and argue a detailed risk analysis and contrast it to all the risks we already take. I don't think they're going to do that. Even if they do, I think it'll be a tough sell.
  • Reply 13 of 156

    Tough shit. I love my Country. I despise my Government.

  • Reply 14 of 156

    Is this guy for real?  What planet is he from pluto?  My privacy has not one thing to do with children getting killed because of the encryption on my cell phone.  This guy needs to get a grip on himself.

  • Reply 15 of 156
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
    Wow ai. You baited, I clicked.
  • Reply 16 of 156

    A child will die regardless.

  • Reply 17 of 156
    straw man argument:)
  • Reply 18 of 156
    A thought...

    I'm no expert on criminal psychology, but why would anyone message about their criminal activities especially related to children.

    Additionally, maybe no children would die if DOJ and law enforcement could just search every home...

    ????
  • Reply 19 of 156
    [SIZE=28px]THINK OF THE DIGITAL CHILDREN[/SIZE]

    The Department of Injustice needs a probe. And not just a metaphorical one.

    I'll think about that while I'm getting my colonoscopy done tomorrow morning.
  • Reply 20 of 156
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member

    Slo-o-o-wly put the gun on the table, Mr. Cole, sir, and let the kid go.

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