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Should Edward Snowden Trust Apple To Do the Right Thing?

Posted by timothy on from the manifold-motives dept.

Nicola Hahn writes: As American lawmakers run a victory lap after passing the USA Freedom Act of 2015, Edward Snowden has published an op-ed piece which congratulates Washington on its "historic" reform. He also identifies Apple Inc. as a champion of user privacy. Snowden states: "Basic technical safeguards such as encryption — once considered esoteric and unnecessary — are now enabled by default in the products of pioneering companies like Apple, ensuring that even if your phone is stolen, your private life remains private." This sort of talking point encourages the perception that Apple has sided with users in the battle against mass surveillance. But there are those who question Snowden's public endorsement of high-tech monoliths. Given their behavior in the past is it wise to assume that corporate interests have turned over a new leaf and won't secretly collaborate with government spies?

8 of 196 comments (clear)

  1. The basic tenet of security by ColdWetDog · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is that you don't trust nobody.

    I can't imagine actually 'trusting' Apple or any other corporation or government. Give them a pat on the back for making security easier - sure. Trusting them, not so much.

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    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    1. Re:The basic tenet of security by praxis · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You must trust some things some times with some data, or you can get no meaningful work done. Balancing that trust (the risk) with that data (the value) is what security is about. I put this data, that I just wrote, on this website, because it is low value and low risk. I wouldn't post here my social-security number because that would be high risk. I wouldn't post my private key here either, but I do store my private key on a hard drive I did not build myself nor did I verify myself running an OS I did not build myself nor did I verify myself because while it's high value, it is low risk due to the many rounds of secure math protecting it.

      As to trusting Apple or any other corporation or government. You implicitly trust your hardware manufacturers, all of them, unless you build your own hardware from scratch. Same goes for software, even open source software.

  2. I don't think that's what Snowden is saying by engineerErrant · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The poster's interpretation seems completely off-base to me; not only is Snowden not encouraging us to blindly trust Apple et al with our privacy, he explicitly warns of the very danger the OP brings up.

    As an iOS developer, my perception is certainly not that Apple is trying to grab our data instead of the government - in recent years, they have started a major cultural shift toward real protections of user data - simply not collecting it, encrypting it in transit, etc., etc., even if it's a burden on third-party developers to make the transition. This is a Good Thing, full stop. Props to Apple (as well as Google, who is also making its own efforts).

  3. Re:why is Eric snowden an expert on security by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You seem to be upset that Snowden leaked information containing the horrible acts of our Government and it's military, yet you're not upset that the government and it's military were doing these horrible things. I think your priorities are askew.

  4. Re:why is Eric snowden an expert on security by prefec2 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    There is no proof that he handed secrets to the Russians or Chinese. The whole article on that was made up by its authors.

    BTW: People criticising the USA normally criticise the politics and actions of the USA. To call them America-haters is totally wrong. In two ways. First, there is a lot more America then only the USA. Use google maps if you do not believe me. Second, its the actions abroad that cause you low reputation. And three, your tourists often help to foster such reputation. Even though the last thing is hardly something that can be changed. We all have parts of our population which go on vacation and ruin our reputation. Ask the Germans and the British or even better ask the Italian and Spanish on the reputation of Germans and the British.

  5. Re:why is Eric snowden an expert on security by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Informative

    Kidnapping, torture and war... for starters.. The spying? Eh...

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    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  6. No reason to trust by endus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I see no reason to trust Apple or any similar companies whatsoever. They have betrayed consumers' trust in the past, have cooperated with illegal surveillance programs, etc. If a given company has cleaned up its act, great, but independent verification, open standards, etc. are the only way to gain assurance. Trust is irrelevant.

  7. Re:why is Eric snowden an expert on security by Copid · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One thing I tell everybody who fills out the SF86 is, KEEP A COPY OF YOUR SF86. You'll probably fill it out more than once in your career. Starting from scratch is a gigantic pain and errors creep in if you have to look up older stuff from primary sources.

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    An interesting anagram of "BANACH TARSKI" is "BANACH TARSKI BANACH TARSKI"