UK demands access to Apple users' encrypted data

[Big George]

Holy ****...

The UK government has demanded to be able to access encrypted data stored by Apple users worldwide in its cloud service.

The news was first reported by the Washington Post, external quoting sources familiar with the matter, and the BBC has spoken to similar contacts.

Legally, the notice, served by the Home Office under the Investigatory Powers Act, cannot be made public, and Apple declined to comment.

The Home Office said: "We do not comment on operational matters, including for example confirming or denying the existence of any such notices."

The notice applies to all content stored using Apple's Advanced Data Protection (ADP), which encrypts the data meaning that Apple itself cannot see it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20g288yldko

[wolf359]

Sounds like the sort of thing Boris would do.

What is the justification for this? I doubt terrorists will be popping plans over iMessage and backing them up to the iCloud.

I’ve ADP enabled and did the day it was released.

[sendô]

I’ve ADP enabled and did the day it was released.

Eh? What's this?

[SammyLeeWasOffside]

Advanced data protections. It's the secure encryption bit in iCloud that our govt is seeking access to.

[wolf359]

Advanced data protections. It's the secure encryption bit in iCloud that our govt is seeking access to.

Important bit is you keep the key and even Apple don’t have access to it (they say) so without you giving over the decryption key there is no access to your data (even if Apple are forced to give it up)

[SammyLeeWasOffside]

Important bit is you keep the key and even Apple don’t have access to it (they say) so without you given over the decryption key there is no access to your data (even if Apple are forced to give it up)

Isn't that what this notice does, compels access. So apple would need to provide a backdoor.

Otherwise it's a stupid (rather than just intrusive) request. If it can't be accessed even with apple granting them access then it's just pointless issuing the notice.

There are a few things going on that the labour front bench would be marching in protest at if the Tories were to do it.

[Estuary]

Tech co's should be subject to the same produce on justifiable legal requirements that any other media outlet is. The sooner the better.
All this privacy nonsense enables some very dark criminal activity.

[Viv Stanshall]

Tech co's should be subject to the same produce on justifiable legal requirements that any other media outlet is. The sooner the better.
All this privacy nonsense enables some very dark criminal activity.

And some privacy.

[simon hammer]

All this privacy nonsense

You never pull the curtains shut or lower blinds then?

Because privacy is such a nonsense eh.

[Alan Pardew's Dad]

You never pull the curtains shut or lower blinds then?

Because privacy is such a nonsense eh.

It’s a tough balance though.

The same privacy protects paedophiles and terrorists. You have to balance civil liberties with keeping society safe and that is a difficult balance.

The Investigatory Powers Act tries to balance those by protecting Civil Liberties but allowing judicial authorisation for specific warranted access requests.

https://www.ipco.org.uk/investigatory- ... he-powers/

No one loses their privacy unless appropriately authorised through ministerial authority AND the judiciary, with the requesting authority having to prove the request to be necessary, legal and proportionate.

This process means that your holiday snaps and personal porn photos are free from prying eyes, unless you head onto the radar of the appropriate authorities for very serious offences and that this warranted intrusion is proven to the necessary authorities.

Personally, I’m very happy with this approach. If you are associated with the very darkest types of criminal activity, there should be no place to hide. For everyone else, your privacy remains intact.

[Big George]

Everytime the government gives the police more power in these sort of circumstances there is overreach. Section 60 laws being used en masse against football fans or terror laws being used by local councils to check whether parents are cheating are in school catachment areas.

The "if you haven't done anything wrong, you have nothing to hide" becomes "prove you've done nothing wrong" or even "prove you have nothing to hide"

It's a slippery slope. If PC Plod gets this access throgh a back door you can bet than Vladimir and Xi's mates will find the key.

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

There's such a thing as 'mission creep'. City centre CCTV cameras introduced 'for anti terrorism purposes' are now being used to pursue people who's car bumper overhangs another parking bay, or who drop a sweet wrapper on the pavement (although I'm not entirely against this ). Once they have access to our data how long before they go on trawling expeditions looking for hurty texts or incorrect pronouns?

[Estuary]

And some privacy.

To what end?

[sendô]

The concerns in this sort of case always seem to be about the power being gained by elected governments having access to your data.

How about the power that unelected corporations have, who all have access to your data? People readily give it over to them without a second thought, but will squeal at the idea of a government agency being able to access it in an emergency situation.

[EvilC]

I'm surprised they are so keen on seeing my dick pics, but they could just have asked instead of going through all this legal nonsense.

[sendô]

I think it's because they need to get in some specialist equipment to be able to see the detail on them EC.

[EvilC]

I think it's because they need to get in some specialist equipment to be able to see the detail on them EC.

They'll need some powerful computing to do that. Or to squint really hard.

[wolf359]

They'll need some powerful computing to do that. Or to squint really hard.

Quantum computing. Designed for handling the very small (well the smallest possible)

[the pink palermo]

They'll need some powerful computing to do that. Or to squint really hard.

Have a read up on how Israel is using AI, cloud computing and data analytics to prosecute its war against Hamas.

Stay off the grid ? It might increase your chance of being a nominated target.

+972 magazine has a few interesting articles.

[sendô]

I can see the BBC News headline now.

West Ham fan's cock inadvertently blown off by IDF.

"Luckily for me I can't tell the difference" says his wife.