Comment by barsonme
4 years ago
Because that door hasn’t been opened yet. “Scan every photo on users devices” or “scan for non-CSAM” are much easier requests once they’ve already started scanning on-device.
It’s just how life and politics work.
4 years ago
Because that door hasn’t been opened yet. “Scan every photo on users devices” or “scan for non-CSAM” are much easier requests once they’ve already started scanning on-device.
It’s just how life and politics work.
The door has been opened for quite some time. What do you think spotlight is? It scans an indexes all your data.
What's prevented the government from saying "hey if you see Osama Bin Laden in a spotlight scan, you need to send us all that guys data."
The answer is, Apple can just say FU. And that's exactly what will happen here. In particular, the US DOJ needs to stay in Apple's good graces here and not be overly aggressive. If DOJ pulls any funny business, that's a pretty good reason for Apple to just say "OK, we're picking up our toys and going home. You get nothing now and we're turning on E2EE."
I'm not a security professional by any means, but this has been my line of thinking on this whole debate for quite a while. It's pretty silly considering what has been made public about the clandestine operations of alphabet agencies,(if you were paying attention to the right channels[1] their was good reason to believe that the 4th amendment was a joke to the Feds long before Snowden's leaks) especially combined with the existences and complete opaqueness of secret FISA Court. Its kinda crazy to me that all these technologists, and especially those on *hacker*news really believe that you have any sort of privacy from the US government, who has demonstrated it can act with complete impunity in most parts of the world for decades. I say especially people here because they should know how just a handful of rogue actors in any given organization could subvert any sort of veil of privacy. I'm not an expert by any means, but it makes complete sense to me that privacy in any large organization is a very delicate thing to maintain when your adversary is as sophisticated and belligerent as the US security and intelligence apparatus appears to be. Maybe I'm just not privy to something, but it seems like if the US national security apparatus want to do something on our or allies soil, they'll find a way.
[1]https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/homefront/ - aired 15-5-07 and covered the notorious ATT room 641a
I’m sorry, but there is a world of difference between locally indexing files for local search and tagging files as contraband so that they can be reported to the government.
Technically speaking, no there isn’t. It’s just a little bit if metadata you’re sticking on an already long tail of metadata that they’re doing as they index.
4 replies →
DOJ can pressure Visa, Mastercard and Amex to stop processing payments for Apple. Due to how the international payments systems work, that's a global sanction, even if Apple had no footprint in US.
And before you claim that's absurd and impossible, there is precedent for US doing just that.[0]
EDIT: There is also an earlier precedent, UIGEA - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unlawful_Internet_Gambling_Enf...
0: https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/credit-card-... (yes, the blockade was lifted later but my point was that the nuclear option is available)
> DOJ can pressure Visa, Mastercard and Amex to stop processing payments for Apple.
I think they'll find there's a world of difference in public support for "people leaking classified documents" vs "the people who make you and your family's phones, tablets, laptops, and watches".