Reply to post: Re: Irrelevant to Apple, even if they pass it

French parliament votes to jail tech execs who refuse to decrypt data

Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward

Re: Irrelevant to Apple, even if they pass it

The 'backdoor' the FBI wishes to create relies on the phone being able to accept a software update from DFU mode without any password or other authentication being provided. Apple said they were already working on software changes that will close that "hole" (it isn't really a hole since it was deliberate in the design as a convenience for users to recover from botched updates, but now that the FBI has made it a problem, that needs to be changed) Assuming the software change is delivered no later than with iOS 10, and probably sooner, 80% of iOS devices (or thereabouts) will therefore be immune to the FBI strategy by the end of the year.

Obviously, being software, it could be undone with a future software change - but that would take things one HUGE step further. Instead of the court ordering Apple to create and apply a special software update to one phone (at a time) the government would have to pass a law requiring Apple to change its software to open that hole back up and apply it to ALL phones. That's a much bigger step, and considering that public opinion is 50/50 at best for opening up one terrorist iPhone there's no way such a law could ever be passed to open up a hole on EVERY iPhone.

I'm sure the iPhone 7 was already going to include improved hardware enforcement of security policies currently controlled by software, and that will continue in the future. Security is a process, and as new things are learned (like "the government might to try force us to create custom software to hack our own security measures") those lessons are applied to future software and hardware designs. Until the FBI asked for this court order, Apple had never considered the need for defending against being forced to create custom software loads. Now that they are aware of this new threat, they are working on software and eventually hardware solutions to eliminate not just this threat but any similar threat where they are compelled by outside agencies to use their unique access to iOS to compromise an iPhone. If they make such action impossible, they can honestly say what is being asked for is beyond their power.

If nothing else, further improved security/privacy may be a reason to upgrade your iPhone, so maybe the FBI will help Apple make a little more money in the long run. That would be rather ironic given that the FBI deliberately chose to file this case publicly instead of under seal like Apple requested, likely hoping the threat of negative publicity from what the FBI assumed would be a slam dunk PR win would force Apple to go along and set the precedent they are looking for.

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