Court orders Apple to help unlock San Bernardino shooter's iPhone

[xxMATTGxx]

A federal judge today ordered Apple to assist law enforcement with breaking into the iPhone owned by one of the San Bernardino shooters. According to court papers, Apple has declined to voluntarily provide technical help in accessing the iPhone 5c owned by Syed Farook, who killed 14 people at a health clinic in the California city on December 2nd alongside his wife Tashfeen Malik. That assistance doesn't involve stripping encryption, but does include help in discovering the iPhone's passcode. It would also include assistance in finding relevant data on who the attackers were communicating with, potentially via iMessage, and who may have also helped plan the shooting, according to NBC News.

The judge ruled Apple had to provide technical help, which includes removing the limit on the number of passwords one can enter on the iPhone and bypassing the device's auto-erase function. The order also says the company could be asked to write custom software to do so if it does not have the current ability to bypass those features. Apple has five days to respond to whether the order would be "unreasonably burdensome." The company was not immediately available for comment.

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/16/11...rdino-shooters

What are peoples thoughts on this, should Apple give into the demands of the FBI and US Gov or should they stand up and fight what is right?

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple responded today on their website which can be read by going to: http://www.apple.com/customer-letter/

[David]

for this reason mainly they probably shouldn't do it, **** em.

The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.

[OldLoveSong]

when it comes to cases like this, apple should be all in to help deliver justice!

[lucaskf390]

I think they should take the iphone, break the code and hand the intel back to FBI, with FBI's oversight after the code is broken to avoid any information is leaked or something.

I really thought FBI and the government had better hackers than this, if they develop systems to secure their country's infrastructure how they can't break a smartphone code.

[Empired]

when it comes to cases like this, apple should be all in to help deliver justice!

I think they should take the iphone, break the code and hand the intel back to FBI, with FBI's oversight after the code is broken to avoid any information is leaked or something.

I really thought FBI and the government had better hackers than this, if they develop systems to secure their country's infrastructure how they can't break a smartphone code.

But once something like that has been created there is always a chance it will be leaked? Once the opportunity is there it'll be worth terrifying amounts of money and eventually someone (most likely from inside Apple I would think) would leak it. It's not a case of Apple creating the backdoor with the FBI turning their backs and humming a tune with their eyes closed so they don't see how it's done - this thing will be there forever and will be a permanent threat to the security of every single individual, institution and company who owns an Apple product.

[xxMATTGxx]

when it comes to cases like this, apple should be all in to help deliver justice!

I think they should take the iphone, break the code and hand the intel back to FBI, with FBI's oversight after the code is broken to avoid any information is leaked or something.

I really thought FBI and the government had better hackers than this, if they develop systems to secure their country's infrastructure how they can't break a smartphone code.

If Apple do this, not only does this mean the FBI and other US Gov organisations will be able to access your secure data on iOS devices it also means that "bad guys" such as hackers will also be able to do the same. Even if you have broken the law or not. Not only that but would you like China to have the same access to?

The New York Times: @FBI's war on #Apple will aid China. https://t.co/URWamc702q pic.twitter.com/KnHDsWIENY

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) February 17, 2016

The FBI may have hackers that can get into the iPhone, they may not but they want Apple to do it because if they do it themselves they don't get the legal precedent they are so desperate to establish in this case.

I'll take this important quote from a blog post:

This issue is much bigger than just Apple providing access to a single device, it’s much bigger than the encryption debate and it’s much bigger than just the US. There are angles to this we haven’t thought about yet and it’ll continue to be sensationalised by the press, misrepresented by the government and rebuked by Apple.

The ramifications of them actually complying with this court order would likely spread well beyond just compromising a device that’s in the physical possession of law enforcement. A precedent the likes of Apple being forced to weaken consumer protections will very likely then be applied to other channels; what would it mean for iMessage when the authorities identify targets actively communicating where they’re unable to gain physical access to the device? It sets an alarming precedent and all the same arguments mounted here by the FBI could just as easily be applied to end to end encryption.

Source: http://www.troyhunt.com/2016/02/ever...out-apple.html

[scottish]

Pretty sure the original court order states that the FBI would hand over the phone to Apple, Apple would develop the SIF and put it on the phone with the SIF never leaving Apples HQ.

But I still disagree because even if it's created by Apple, it's still possible for leaks etc by Apple employees and of course the fact it would exist would be an issue.

Either way if Apple are forced into doing this it will take years because they'll have to be passed on to district court, court of appeals then the US supreme court.

[Reality]

It kinda has clouded my judgment on returning to an Apple product, especially if this is how tense a situation gets between a company and the US Gov, as it wouldn't just effect the US people it would affect the whole production of iPhones that are distributed over the world.
I kinda feel that the US Gov. have too much power over this and are way over their heads in this situation especially as it seems like they're technically pressuring and pushing Apple into a corner of agreement.
I really do hope Apple do stand by their morals and values as a company and don't agree (or get pushed into a corner) with this; as stated in the link, it would basically be like hacking their own customers

[xxMATTGxx]

It kinda has clouded my judgment on returning to an Apple product, especially if this is how tense a situation gets between a company and the US Gov, as it wouldn't just effect the US people it would affect the whole production of iPhones that are distributed over the world.
I kinda feel that the US Gov. have too much power over this and are way over their heads in this situation especially as it seems like they're technically pressuring and pushing Apple into a corner of agreement.
I really do hope Apple do stand by their morals and values as a company and don't agree (or get pushed into a corner) with this; as stated in the link, it would basically be like hacking their own customers

I think Apple will take this to the very end and like Scottish has mentioned above, it's going to take years most likely.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I love how many people including @xxMATTGxx; are all for consumer and private individual rights now that it infringes on their laptops and phones but when it comes to having a smoke in the local pub, 28 days without trial or having older people felt up at the airports, oh it's security, safety, security first and always.

"Security and safety first! would you like to be blown up?" is the response by the same people to any opposition to random stop and searches.

"Health and safety first! would you like cancer???" is the response by the same people to any thought that people can do as they wish on private property.

Security at all costs eh. But don't touch our precious phones nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo pls!

Funny isn't it how people place and care more about their "rights" to have a private Whatsapp conversation (as if the authorities aren't watching it all anyway no matter what they tell us and as though you all have anything of interest on those devices anyway) than basic/other people's rights to have a smoke inside a private room, to be able to walk through an airport without being selected at random for no reason or the spooky 28 days without trial legislation brought in to 'protect us from terrorism'.

Although I am very big on civil liberties (having defended them all against you all over and over in Current Affairs) I find this issue rather small in comparison as the privacy of phones and computers is shaky as it is and pales in comparison to real civil liberties issues which I mentioned above. In addition I have also read and heard that Apple have unlocked devices for the feds prior to this and if that truly is the case it begs the question why are they refusing now?

What truly makes me laugh at all this fury by the gamers and technology geeks is that this is in relation to the San Berdardino shooting of 14 people dead by two Islamic extremists. Now whenever one of these incidents occurs, all the same people call for seizing innocent people's guns who have nothing to do with the crime committed as well as defending a religion to the hilt which quite obviously has a lot of problems with extremist strands.

Yet here the same people are in this very thread crying over the thought that a terrorists phone/a phone he used could be unlocked to find out whether more terror cells out there exist. It's a case of irony so extreme that I cannot help but feel smugly satisfied over it.


As I always say on civil liberties issues and liberty in general, what goes around comes around. Suck it up guys.