James Comey tears into Apple, Silicon Valley over encryption policies in new book
Former FBI director James Comey is extremely critical about Apple, other tech companies, and their policies when it comes to encryption in his new book "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership."

Former FBI director Comey talks about a wide range of issues he dealt with across his entire career, including his four years as FBI director in his book. Among those is the issue of encryption. Comey's views on the matter, as stated in the book, are consistent with those generally held by law enforcement, as well as what Comey has said all along in testimony and other public comments about data privacy and encryption.
In "A Higher Loyalty," as cited by Fast Company and LifeHacker, Comey addresses various disagreements the FBI has had with Apple and other Silicon Valley companies, most notably about Apple's refusal, in 2016, to unlock an iPhone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the accused conspirators in the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack.
"I found it appalling that the tech types couldn't see this," wrote Comey. "I would frequently joke with the FBI 'Going Dark' team assigned to seek solutions, 'Of course the Silicon Valley types don't see the darkness -- they live where it's sunny all the time and everybody is rich and smart.'"
The former FBI director, however, made it clear that he realizes the balance between privacy and the needs of law enforcement is a hard one to strike.
"Apple is not a demon; I hope people don't perceive the FBI as a demon," Comey said in April 2016.
He also called at the time for a legislative solution, rather than for the matter to head to the courts. Apple CEO Tim Cook was seeking the same thing.
Comey admitted the same month that the FBI had paid $1.4 million to unlock Farook's iPhone 5c. Much later, this last March, an FBI inspector general concluded that Comey and other top FBI officials did not make false statements to Congress in regards to the San Bernardino matter, while noting a lack of effective communication.
"A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership." retails for $17.99, and will be available on April 17.

Former FBI director Comey talks about a wide range of issues he dealt with across his entire career, including his four years as FBI director in his book. Among those is the issue of encryption. Comey's views on the matter, as stated in the book, are consistent with those generally held by law enforcement, as well as what Comey has said all along in testimony and other public comments about data privacy and encryption.
In "A Higher Loyalty," as cited by Fast Company and LifeHacker, Comey addresses various disagreements the FBI has had with Apple and other Silicon Valley companies, most notably about Apple's refusal, in 2016, to unlock an iPhone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the accused conspirators in the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack.
"Don't see the darkness"
Comey writes in the book that, when it comes to terrorism, crime, and other scourges "the leaders of the tech companies don't see the darkness the FBI sees.""I found it appalling that the tech types couldn't see this," wrote Comey. "I would frequently joke with the FBI 'Going Dark' team assigned to seek solutions, 'Of course the Silicon Valley types don't see the darkness -- they live where it's sunny all the time and everybody is rich and smart.'"
The former FBI director, however, made it clear that he realizes the balance between privacy and the needs of law enforcement is a hard one to strike.
"Apple is not a demon"
At the time of the San Bernardino controversy, Comey had also called for reconciliation between the FBI and Silicon Valley."Apple is not a demon; I hope people don't perceive the FBI as a demon," Comey said in April 2016.
He also called at the time for a legislative solution, rather than for the matter to head to the courts. Apple CEO Tim Cook was seeking the same thing.
Comey admitted the same month that the FBI had paid $1.4 million to unlock Farook's iPhone 5c. Much later, this last March, an FBI inspector general concluded that Comey and other top FBI officials did not make false statements to Congress in regards to the San Bernardino matter, while noting a lack of effective communication.
"A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership." retails for $17.99, and will be available on April 17.
Comments
And let's be clear that Apple offered to help right away but they waited until it was too late before taking Apple up on that offer. The FBI dropped the ball with San Bernardino, not Apple.
And Comey is nowhere near a leader, nor is he loyal to his country. He stole, and released through a friend, proprietary information (applies to the governmnet too), all to sell a book and make a quick buck.
We live in a very different world, we have people giving up their privacy to get free products, and we have the government who thinks they should have free access to all your personal information and no company should allow you to protect that information.
"I found it appalling that the tech types couldn't see this," wrote Comey. "I would frequently joke with the FBI 'Going Dark' team assigned to seek solutions, 'Of course the Silicon Valley types don't see the darkness —they live where it's sunny all the time and everybody is rich and smart.'"
I find it appalling the FBI does not comprehend how encryption works and this is not a "Privacy VS Security" issue as he so liked to frame it. It is a "Privacy and Security VS a false sense of security", however, and Silicon Valley truly does understand this issue significantly better than law enforcement.
A very complicated intersection of issues where an advocate for each view has many reasonable arguments.
A survey of recent (and not so recent) Supreme Court décisions doesn’t generate much confidence that law enforcement won’t abuse violations of privacy. Comey may be right - tech companies don’t see so don’t know about how their technology is being used to aid crime. Yet, where are the assurances backdoor Access won’t be abused?
Likewise, are companies really concerned about privacy? Only if privacy aids short term profits. But what about national security? What about the threat of national security to the bottom line.
I think people may not fully appreciate how important it is to have that legislative mandate/authority/budget. All agencies fundamentally are acting in accordance with those things. Guys like Comey are basically trying to do the job that the law tells them they are supposed to do. If we don't like what they're doing, that often means we need to change the law.