Bill Gates says he doesn't back FBI in case vs. Apple, encourages more discussion

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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says he was taken aback by a recent report quoting him as supporting the FBI in its encryption battle with Apple, calling the oversimplification of his view on the controversy "disappointing."


Source: Bloomberg TV.


Gates spoke with Bloomberg TV to clarify his stance, disputing an earlier report that said he sided with the FBI. Instead, Gates said the issue involving the San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist attack and a locked iPhone 5c is complex, and warrants discussion.

"I was disappointed cause that doesn't state my view on this," Gates said. "I do believe that with the right safeguards, there are cases where the government, on our behalf, like stopping terrorism, which could get worse in the future, that that is valuable. But striking that balance--clearly the government has taken information historically and used it in ways we didn't expect, going all the way back to say the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover."



The former Microsoft CEO said it should be possible to implement a series of "safeguards" that would prevent federal investigators from being "completely blind" in cases where obtaining information is warranted. But Gates refused to officially take a side on the matter, saying that the U.S. court system will ultimately have the final say.

"You don't want to just take the minute after a terrorist event and swing that direction, nor do you want to in general completely swing away from government access when you get some abuse being revealed," he said. "You want to strike that balance that the United States leads in setting example."

Earlier, Gates had been quoted by the Financial Times as saying the San Bernardino terrorist attack was a "specific case," and that the FBI was not asking for "some general thing" from Apple. But Gates took issue with the way his comments were represented.

The mostly neutral stance from Gates stands in contrast to companies like Twitter and Facebook, who have more actively voiced their support for Apple in opposition to the U.S. government. Other high-profile endorsements have come from Mark Cuban and John McAfee, who have expressed concern over the power the government could wield if it were given "backdoor" entry into mobile platforms like Apple's iOS.

The controversy reached a boiling point a week ago, when a U.S. magistrate judge ordered Apple to comply with FBI requests to help extract data from an iPhone owned by one of the shooters involved in the December terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif. The device in question is an iPhone 5c that was password protected by the gunman, and is set to erase a stored decryption key after ten unsuccessful login attempts.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook responded with an open letter, saying that the creation of a backdoor tool to access a locked iPhone could open the flood gates for future issues, rippling well beyond the investigation into the San Bernardino shooting. The terrorist attack resulted in 16 deaths and 24 injuries.

Apple has appealed the U.S. magistrate judge's ruling, and has until Friday to respond.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member
    Backpedaling already?  Or was he actually misquoted/misinterpreted?
    edited February 2016
  • Reply 2 of 33
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    He realized his honesty on privacy didn't fly well with the remaining Windows users.
    Aniargonaut
  • Reply 3 of 33
    I think that the fact that this guy "quit" Microsoft essentially negates any credibility he may still have regarding this issue.
  • Reply 4 of 33
    Listen to him. He knows a lot about taking and using information that doesn't belong to you.
    MacProdiplicationlostkiwiargonautbrakken
  • Reply 5 of 33
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Apple has become a political hot potato and Judas Goat. They stand alone against the government while cowards like Gates, Google, Facebook,et al, make syrupy, nondescript statements all the while hiding out of sight so no one will pin anything on them. They stand back and watch what’s happening to Apple like voyeurs. 
    calicornchipanantksundaramwilliamlondonlostkiwiargonautkevin keebadmonk
  • Reply 6 of 33
    Welcome to the world outside the bubble, Bill. Fundamentalists have already taken over the country, and they aren't Muslim. 
    suddenly newtonargonautbrakkenbadmonk
  • Reply 7 of 33
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,309member
    lkrupp said:
    Apple has become a political hot potato and Judas Goat. They stand alone against the government while cowards like Gates, Google, Facebook,et al, make syrupy, nondescript statements all the while hiding out of sight so no one will pin anything on them. They stand back and watch what’s happening to Apple like voyeurs. 
    I think Zuckerberg is on board, based on recent statements, but he hasn't drawn a line in the sand; I think the others want to see how badly Apple is damaged by this, if they are at all, before they go all in.
    argonauth2p
  • Reply 8 of 33
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    customtb said:
    Listen to him. He knows a lot about taking and using information that doesn't belong to you.
    hahahah... good one. 
  • Reply 9 of 33
    By the way, despite the insistence by the Feds that they only wanted access to one phone from Apple, there's news now that they want another 10 (and possibly more) phones cracked.

    http://news.yahoo.com/apple-fight-iphone-access-extends-other-cases-162858308.html

    Mister And Miss Average Person, you're next.
    edited February 2016 cornchiplostkiwiargonaut
  • Reply 10 of 33
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    icoco3 said:
    Backpedaling already?  Or was he actually misquoted/misinterpreted?
    Probably misquoted. The media likes to cause controversy. 
    cornchipjustadcomicsmwhiteargonautkoopnoivad
  • Reply 11 of 33
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    Still I wish Gates stood up against the FBI. It's been 3(?) months since the attack. No imminent threat exists. Any phone numbers called were accessed from the service provider. The FBI screwed up when it reset the password. I suppose they need to check his Words with friends score. 
    jfc1138lostkiwisuddenly newtonargonaut
  • Reply 12 of 33
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

     "I do believe that with the right safeguards, there are cases where the government, on our behalf, like stopping terrorism, 

    And for decades, Windows has been riddled with so many security holes resulting in a security/AV industry worth billions of dollars per year, the government does thank you for making their job to crack your OS so incredibly easy Bill.  

    With your OS's being so easy to hack, I doubt the government had to ask you to even assist them anyways.

    lostkiwiargonautbrakken
  • Reply 13 of 33
    icoco3 said:
    Backpedaling already?  Or was he actually misquoted/misinterpreted?
    He wasn't misquoted but the original source has a misleading headline. I listened to the full interview and Gates never implied he sided with the FBI. He was talking in general terms about the situation. 
  • Reply 14 of 33
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    lkrupp said:
    Apple has become a political hot potato and Judas Goat. They stand alone against the government while cowards like Gates, Google, Facebook,et al, make syrupy, nondescript statements all the while hiding out of sight so no one will pin anything on them. They stand back and watch what’s happening to Apple like voyeurs. 

    Bet your ass if this phone was a cheap Sammy or 'droid there would be no begging from the FBI. The phone would be hacked or unlocked long ago. There would be zero resistance from goog and hardly any news coverage other than the obligatory pro-droid crap reading "Android fights terrorism" or "Buying Android ensures safety".

    Where are all the articles about the lack of privacy on 'droid, windows etc??
    The media even tries to spin Apple's privacy as a negative. Morons eat that sh** up. A fandroid once told me Apple products are bad because terrorist can use the devices and not be hacked, spied on or tracked.
    lostkiwiargonautbadmonk
  • Reply 15 of 33
    Apple "thinks differently"  Mr. Gates!
  • Reply 16 of 33
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    Bill, this is better.As Tim Cook said, have national debate.
  • Reply 17 of 33
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member
    AppleInsider said:

     But Gates refused to officially take a side on the matter, saying that the U.S. court system will ultimately have the final say.
    Why say anything then? Just leave it up to the courts.

    He looks terrified in that photo.
  • Reply 18 of 33
    I think that the fact that this guy "quit" Microsoft essentially negates any credibility he may still have regarding this issue.
    The man has done more in the world than most people will ever do in their entire lives. He passed the responsibility to others to run a company as he and his wife went off and did other things. Others would see that as retirement with a nest egg of 75 billion dollars, yet you call it "quitting."
    edited February 2016
  • Reply 19 of 33
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    I would bet 10:1 that there's nothing useful in that iPhone to help the damn future attack. Anyone?
    nouserradarthekatbrakkenbadmonk
  • Reply 20 of 33
    This is going to become Metallica v Napster, although with far more important implications. Metallica was vilified by other artists and fans for fighting against the essentially free sharing of intellectual property, only to be proven right but not until recording industry was changed (for the worse in many cases) forever. 

    Those siding with the FBI are blind to the reality that will come with their demands being met. 
    h2pbrakken
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