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FBI Releases (Redacted) Documents About The San Bernardino iPhone Case (go.com)
The FBI released 100 pages of documents about the unidentified vendor who unlocked the iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooter, but "censored critical details that would have shown how much the FBI paid, whom it hired and how it opened the phone." An anonymous reader quotes the Associated Press:
The files make clear that the FBI signed a nondisclosure agreement with the vendor. The records also show that the FBI received at least three inquiries from companies interested in developing a product to unlock the phone, but none had the ability to come up with a solution fast enough for the FBI. The FBI also said in contracting documents that it did not solicit competing bids or proposals because it thought widely disclosing the bureau's needs could harm national security... The suit by the media organizations argued there was no legal basis to withhold the information and challenged the adequacy of the FBI's search for relevant records. It also said the public had a right to know whether the vendor has adequate security measures, is a proper recipient of government funds and will act only in the public interest. In refusing to provide the records, the FBI said the records had been compiled for law enforcement purposes and might interfere with ongoing enforcement proceedings, even though at the time the shooters were both dead and there were no indications others were involved.
What did they find on the phone?
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Nothing to see, NDA is fine, we are fine, everyone is fine... down here -- we're ok... how about you?
How exactly does a public agency, beholden to the public enter a NDA?
Shouldn't any NDA they enter just automatically be null and void?
Backdoors in USA devices is a definite no-no. You put a backdoor into a device, and Putin comes along, backdoors your democracy, and then he gets access to the backdoors in those devices.
A good government quickly turned in one election cycle, and all those missle defense systems, all that military spending, all that NSA surveillance, all becomes worthless defense, if they can put a traitor in, who'll unlock the gate.
5 eyes countries, spied on their own people on the excuse of 'terrorism'. They even allowed other 5 eyes countries access to that data. But that was OK, because they're all democratic governments full of 'good guys'. They've all signed 'no spy for political purposes' contracts. And contracts are binding... right? What could possibly go wrong Theresa?
Now the largest of the 5 eyes countries has been mangled by Putin's hackers, which gives their bad-actor access to 5 eyes surveillance data and those countries politicians in turn can be controlled and monitored and leaked against in *their* countries elections using their own surveillance systems. Turning them into puppet regimes too.
And democracies are inherently weak at election time, rivalry means opposition politicians will side with foreign attackers to get power. And reward those foreign attackers by ignoring invasions, cancelling sanctions, covering up hacking, and endless Twittering about "How good ties with Russia are very important" and that "CIA are make up lies about Russia". When you're Presidents Twitter feed looks like 70's Pravda, it's too late then to think it was a bad idea to open backdoors to communications.
They hired the Russians. Providing money to hack the election.
-- these are only opinions and they might not be mine.
Anyone find the documents online? Can you send the link?