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Apple's Security Expert Joined the ACLU To Tackle 'Authoritarian Fever' (vice.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Apple security expert Jon Callas, who helped build protection for billions of computers and smartphones against criminal hackers and government surveillance, is now taking on government and corporate spying in the policy realm. Jon Callas is an elder statesman in the world of computer security and cryptography. He's been a vanguard in developing security for mobile communications and email as chief technology officer and co-founder of PGP Corporation -- which created Pretty Good Privacy, the first widely available commercial encryption software -- and serving the same roles at Silent Circle and Blackphone, touted as the world's most secure Android phone.
As a security architect and analyst for Apple computers -- he served three stints with the tech giant in 1995-1997, 2009-2011, and 2016-2018 -- he has played an integral role in helping to develop and assess security for the Mac and iOS operating systems and various components before their release to the public. His last stretch there as manager of a Red Team (red teams hack systems to expose and fix their vulnerabilities) began just after the FBI tried to force the tech giant to undermine security it had spent years developing for its phones to break into an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters. But after realizing there's a limit to the privacy and surveillance issues technology companies can address, Callas decided to tackle the issues from the policy side, accepting a two-year position as senior technology fellow for the American Civil Liberties Union. Callas spoke to Motherboard about government backdoors, the need for tech expertise in policymaking, and what he considers the biggest challenge for the security industry.
As a security architect and analyst for Apple computers -- he served three stints with the tech giant in 1995-1997, 2009-2011, and 2016-2018 -- he has played an integral role in helping to develop and assess security for the Mac and iOS operating systems and various components before their release to the public. His last stretch there as manager of a Red Team (red teams hack systems to expose and fix their vulnerabilities) began just after the FBI tried to force the tech giant to undermine security it had spent years developing for its phones to break into an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters. But after realizing there's a limit to the privacy and surveillance issues technology companies can address, Callas decided to tackle the issues from the policy side, accepting a two-year position as senior technology fellow for the American Civil Liberties Union. Callas spoke to Motherboard about government backdoors, the need for tech expertise in policymaking, and what he considers the biggest challenge for the security industry.
I knew I kept a bookmark to this Twitter thread for a reason.
It's simply a list of the privacy debacles that have occurred under Apple's watch.
Since I know people won't bother reading the link (even though it's to Twitter, so it's not going to be that long) it includes things like Accuweather tracking Apple users' locations even with location services disabled, Uber's special exemption that let them spy on every app running on the phone, Apple uploading all your call logs and SMS messages to their servers without permission, and Apple allowing third party apps to upload your contacts to their servers without permission. And those are only some of the more recent privacy violations Apple has been caught either helping or allowing.
James Rosen was harassed, including his parents wire tapped, under Obama administration. He did nothing wrong that they could say. They were investigating him as a likely terrorist, but if you knew who he is you would immediately think that claim ridiculous. What they did was illegal.
FBI/DOJ used 4 FISA warrants, warrants for spying on terrorist, on Carter Paige. All 4 illegally done, each person involved getting FISA committed 6 felonies. They lied about the information, which was false, on the application and failed to verify it. No one involved in getting the 4 FISA warrants has yet been charged for their illegal activity. Again started under Obama administration.
So claiming it doesn't happen is false.
Claiming it can't happen is false.
Claiming that if it does happen, there will be consequences for the government is false.
Just thought I'd let you know what has been going on.
In addition Obama drone struck and killed a US citizen in Yemen without ever even attempting a trial. Claimed secret evidence that was never shown to even a judge.
Former ACLU legal director and Berkeley law professor John A. Powell recently told a reporter from the New Yorker that free speech rules in the United States fail to weigh the value of speech against the harms that speech can cause, and argued that we ought to regulate speech that can cause P.T.S.D. and "stereotype threat."
An internal company briefing produced by Google and leaked argues that due to a variety of factors, including the election of President Trump, the âoeAmerican traditionâ of free speech on the internet is no longer viable.
It's a real problem and it's only getting worse.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!