Apple's intensifying privacy & encryption stance worsening FBI struggles with lawbreakers ...
Because of Apple's and other companies' stances on end-to-end encryption, the U.S. government's trouble in intercepting online communications is only accelerating, according to an executive assistant director with the FBI.
The "going dark" problem "infects law enforcement and the intelligence community more and more so every day," Amy Hess told the Wall Street Journal. As companies like Apple, Facebook, and others have instituted end-to-end encryption in messaging, government agencies -- particularly the FBI -- have complained that terrorists and other criminals have been able to conduct business outside of surveillance.
Hess once testified in front of Congress on the matter in 2016, a year that saw Apple fight the FBI and the Department of Justice over demands for a backdoor into the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. Apple, normally compliant with police and NSA requests, argued that it couldn't be compelled to write new code, and that doing so would fundamentally weaken the security of iOS. The DoJ's case ultimately fizzled when it turned to a third-party service that successfully cracked Farook's iPhone 5c.
Partly because of the Farook incident, critics have been skeptical of the "going dark" threat, suggesting that there are often alternatives to intercepting services like iMessage and WhatsApp. Apple and like-minded parties have contended that encryption is essential not just for general privacy, but keeping people safe from hackers and mass surveillance, particularly in countries where leaders may imprison or murder dissenters.
The Journal noted that last week, Apple and a collection of trade groups, NGOs, and other tech companies submitted comments opposing an Australian law passed in December which demands businesses help the government access encrypted messages. The view is that the law is too vague, and could be used to demand weakened encryption not just in Australia but eventually in any country within the "Five Eyes" network -- Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. Those countries regularly collaborate on intelligence matters, and the network recently claimed that "privacy is not an absolute," with the further assertion that it would aim to access encrypted data through legislation.
The U.K.'s GCHQ intelligence agency even recently proposed adding government agents as silent participants in group chats, something opponents have said could be even worse than weakened encryption, since it could be very quickly turned to mass surveillance or exploitation by hackers.
The "going dark" problem "infects law enforcement and the intelligence community more and more so every day," Amy Hess told the Wall Street Journal. As companies like Apple, Facebook, and others have instituted end-to-end encryption in messaging, government agencies -- particularly the FBI -- have complained that terrorists and other criminals have been able to conduct business outside of surveillance.
Hess once testified in front of Congress on the matter in 2016, a year that saw Apple fight the FBI and the Department of Justice over demands for a backdoor into the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. Apple, normally compliant with police and NSA requests, argued that it couldn't be compelled to write new code, and that doing so would fundamentally weaken the security of iOS. The DoJ's case ultimately fizzled when it turned to a third-party service that successfully cracked Farook's iPhone 5c.
Partly because of the Farook incident, critics have been skeptical of the "going dark" threat, suggesting that there are often alternatives to intercepting services like iMessage and WhatsApp. Apple and like-minded parties have contended that encryption is essential not just for general privacy, but keeping people safe from hackers and mass surveillance, particularly in countries where leaders may imprison or murder dissenters.
The Journal noted that last week, Apple and a collection of trade groups, NGOs, and other tech companies submitted comments opposing an Australian law passed in December which demands businesses help the government access encrypted messages. The view is that the law is too vague, and could be used to demand weakened encryption not just in Australia but eventually in any country within the "Five Eyes" network -- Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. Those countries regularly collaborate on intelligence matters, and the network recently claimed that "privacy is not an absolute," with the further assertion that it would aim to access encrypted data through legislation.
The U.K.'s GCHQ intelligence agency even recently proposed adding government agents as silent participants in group chats, something opponents have said could be even worse than weakened encryption, since it could be very quickly turned to mass surveillance or exploitation by hackers.
Comments
BTW How were crimes solved before the iPhone? /s
The smart criminal do not get caught this way, one they do not communicate incriminating information via electronic or methods which can be used against them. The criminal justice system is still trying to figure what emoji mean in various context let along when criminal use codes to cover their tracks. If you read about the Al Chapo case the government spent a lot of time explaining all of his code name and short hand we used to do business. It took our government 30 yrs to bring him to trail and he was not necessarily one of the smart ones.
Look how long it took our Government with all its high tech to find and kill Ben Laden, why is only use low tech communications, everything is sneaker mail and word of mouth.
What the government is complaining about is the fact they stupid criminal are not as easy to catch and the government actually has to do work to catch a criminal.
This has to be one of the stupidest proposals ever!
I consider myself a fairly moral guy, but talk about temptation for abuse....
Excuse me while I go buy some stock of company xyz, I just got some incredibly sensitive information directly from the company board, that the company is being sold. Also, another companies clinical trials is going fantastic. Time to go all in...
Who new that a minimum wage government job could be so lucrative?
Oh yeah... by reinterpreting written words to mean the opposite of intent.
That’s why, as one of the youngest countries on te planet, the US has the oldest written Constitution.
It wasn’t until he was no longer relevant to the public (except as a trophy to the US) and his rendition no longer a danger to Pakistani internal politics that the deal was made to allow the US to take him out.