Slashdot Mirror
Cops Around the Country Can Now Unlock iPhones, Records Show (vice.com)
Law enforcement agencies across the country have purchased GrayKey, a relatively cheap tool for bypassing the encryption on iPhones, while the FBI pushes again for encryption backdoors, Motherboard reported on Thursday. From the report: FBI Director Christopher Wray recently said that law enforcement agencies are "increasingly unable to access" evidence stored on encrypted devices. Wray is not telling the whole truth. Police forces and federal agencies around the country have bought relatively cheap tools to unlock up-to-date iPhones and bypass their encryption, according to a Motherboard investigation based on several caches of internal agency documents, online records, and conversations with law enforcement officials. Many of the documents were obtained by Motherboard using public records requests.
The news highlights the going dark debate, in which law enforcement officials say they cannot access evidence against criminals. But easy access to iPhone hacking tools also hamstrings the FBI's argument for introducing backdoors into consumer devices so authorities can more readily access their contents.
The news highlights the going dark debate, in which law enforcement officials say they cannot access evidence against criminals. But easy access to iPhone hacking tools also hamstrings the FBI's argument for introducing backdoors into consumer devices so authorities can more readily access their contents.
This is NOT the tool wanted. This tool means they have to have physical access to the phone.
What they REALLY want is a remote backdoor so they can spy on everyone in real time if they want.
Hell, the criminals will have an easier time of it than Apple. The criminals already know crooked cops who will, for a fee, order one for them.
It is not about accessing the phone when it is in their possession, with a search warrant, that is a lie. It is all about accessing the phone when it is in your possession without your knowledge and sometimes without a warrant. That is why a backdoor, nothing what so ever to do with legal access via a warrant, all to do with fishing expedition access without your knowledge. Now add in more reality, also about spying on the opposite sex, competitors and revenge. The more power some people have, the more power they want.
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
I agree with you in principle.
But I feel obligated to point out that people think they need smartphones WAY more than they actually do.
There may be a tiny handful of people who, due to the nature of their business, need to remain connected to the Internet at all times.
For the other 99%, it's just a luxury and an addiction.
For God's sake, if you are worried about privacy, don't use an IPhone. This isn't rocket science.
I have a dumbphone. It has my contacts and a calendar app. Let the police crack it, there is nothing there to find.
You can too.
or you can teach your kid not to touch your shit. eh, i'm sure that's child abuse, though. My kids are all semi-normal characters, and they know that you don't touch mommy's $1,000 electronics. they actually can be taught that, and still be happy and healthy, or in the case of daughters, miserable and healthy.