FBI should disclose iPhone vulnerability to Apple, Edward Snowden says
Infamous NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has once again weighed in on the Apple-FBI battle, this time saying that the bureau should disclose the vulnerability used to crack the San Bernardino iPhone in the interest of national cybersecurity.
Apple's attempts to compel disclosure through the court system are "proper," Snowden said during a debate hosted by NYU Wagner. His remarks were first noted by VentureBeat.
"When the FBI finds a case that is so exceptional that they have to break the security of the device to get in it, it merits these kinds of exceptional circumstances, they should try to do that," Snowden said. "At the same time, they should make sure they close the door behind them, so that the rest of us, whether we work at UNICEF or whether we work at Starbucks, are safe and don't face the same threats tomorrow."
The bureau revealed last week that it would not submit the method -- for which it paid approximately $1 million -- for review and possible disclosure by a federal panel. This has been widely panned by security advocates, including Snowden, who argue that the FBI has a responsibility to the public.
"They're not doing it to help [Apple], they're doing it to help the country, they're doing it to help everyone in America who uses those products, who uses those services," Snowden added.
Complicating matters is the fact that it's still unclear whether the FBI even knows what the exploit is, or if it has the legal right to disclose it. Even FBI Director James Comey is reportedly unaware of the identity of the group responsible for unlocking the device.
Apple's attempts to compel disclosure through the court system are "proper," Snowden said during a debate hosted by NYU Wagner. His remarks were first noted by VentureBeat.
"When the FBI finds a case that is so exceptional that they have to break the security of the device to get in it, it merits these kinds of exceptional circumstances, they should try to do that," Snowden said. "At the same time, they should make sure they close the door behind them, so that the rest of us, whether we work at UNICEF or whether we work at Starbucks, are safe and don't face the same threats tomorrow."
The bureau revealed last week that it would not submit the method -- for which it paid approximately $1 million -- for review and possible disclosure by a federal panel. This has been widely panned by security advocates, including Snowden, who argue that the FBI has a responsibility to the public.
"They're not doing it to help [Apple], they're doing it to help the country, they're doing it to help everyone in America who uses those products, who uses those services," Snowden added.
Complicating matters is the fact that it's still unclear whether the FBI even knows what the exploit is, or if it has the legal right to disclose it. Even FBI Director James Comey is reportedly unaware of the identity of the group responsible for unlocking the device.
Comments
Likewise the FBI should not feel compelled to share anything with Apple.
Both Apple and the FBI have a responsibility to the public and I honestly feel that the closer they work together the worse off the public will be in the end.
the FBI is not a business or citizen. it is a public servant that serves the interests of the public. we decide, it obeys.
The FBI has an obligation to the citizens of the United States and to the world to tell Apple about the vulnerability so they can fix it, but the FBI wants the vulnerability to be left unfixed so they can use it over and over again (on the one iPhone they said they were ONLY needing it for).
Bib-dribble about the FBI all you want: Snowden is a thief safely ensconced in country that is your enemy, and whose acolytes keep moving the goal posts once none of them could explain how any of his theft directly impacted their Fourth Amendment rights.
However the FBI has a responsibility to make sure their own contractors don't use the hack for nefarious purposes. Much like the Pentagon has a responsibility to make sure that its own contractors do the same.
The FBI or any law enforcement should be doing it's own work, just as the Pentagon should be. This is obviously not always possible and weapons be they conventional in the form of guns and bombs, or unconventional in the form a hack can wind up in the wrong hands sometimes.
I will roll the dice and take my chances that I am better off with a firewall between a company like Apple and the FBI.
I personally would prefer a world where the FBI or any other law enforcement agency and Apple or any other similar company do not work together.
If the company the FBI used then turns around and uses the same hack for nefarious purposes, I blame the FBI, not Apple. The FBI should have been able to do the same thing in the first place in my opinion.
Still you make an extremely valid point. It's not a cut and dry world we live in. This is not a simple matter to say the least.
Still, plus 1 for wishful thinking.
First they claim they don't how the firm they hired penetrated the iPhone and the method is a proprietary asset of the company. Then they offer to shop it around to local Attorneys General wanting to hack iPhones in other criminal cases. If the first claim is true, what is the evidentiary value of this in court if the defence cannot examine the method for accuracy and reliability? If the FBI is as ignorant about how the hack works as they claim, why would they allow an undocumented forensic tool access to an irreplaceable piece of evidence in a high-profile terrorism case?
Johnathan Zdziarski makes the case for the FBI's reckless behaviour better than I can here:
http://www.zdziarski.com/blog/?p=6070
Sounds like the perfect recipe for an Oliver Stone film....
And yes, you get punished for going outside of the rules. He would have been dead long ago in the not too distant past.