Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A Message to Our Customers

apple.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

791–800 of 1001 posts

Re: A Message to Our Customers

#791

Post by millstone »

13thLetter wrote: post #614
greenpizza13 wrote: post #592

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"To be fair - the only reason he's doing it is because it would cause a significant drop in sales for Apple devices." That's not being fair at all. To say the only reason he is doing it is to protect iPhone sales doesn't speak to Tim's character. Of course he cares about sales, but he also cares about privacy.

Normally people on HN are much more skeptical about airy promises and assertions from corporate executives. I don't see what behavior on Tim Cook's part has indicated he's more to be trusted than anyone else.

Tim Cook was asked at a shareholder meeting to only do things that were profitable. He passionately rejected the idea, and named accessibility for the blind, environmental issues/climate change, and worker safety as areas where Apple invests because it's right, without considering the "bloody ROI". [1]

Compare to GE, which rolled over [2].

So I believe Mr Cook when he says his opposition to the FBI's request is rooted in a desire to do the right thing, and not the bottom line.

[1] http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/tim-cook-soundly-reje...

[2] http://www.nationalcenter.org/PR-GE_Climate_Change_022114.ht...

Re: A Message to Our Customers

#792

Post by SkidanovAlex »

> People use them to store an incredible amount of personal information, from our private conversations to our photos, our music, our notes

I wonder if this is a grammar mistake, or Apple actually considers the private conversations, nodes, photos to be theirs?

Re: A Message to Our Customers

#793

Post by lwhalen »

epaga wrote: post #2

Huge props to Apple - here's hoping against hope that Google, Facebook, and Amazon get behind this. One thing I was wondering is how Apple is even able to create a backdoor. It is explained toward the end: "The government would have us remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by “brute force…

What this says to me is that the current iPhone encryption is able to be broken by Apple. Note: "[the FBI is asking us to] make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation." I interpret that as there is already a backdoor, but one that is controlled by Apple. If that is the case, the gov't is asking for dual control of that pre-existing backdoor in addition to Apple. If I encrypt a message with a public key, and Phil Zimmerman can decrypt it (in addition to the holder of the private half of that public key), then there's a backdoor in PGP, regardless of who owns/knows about it. The only secure system is one where the data is well and truly unrecoverable if the private key is gone, missing, or unavailable/unwilling to be applied by the owner.

Re: A Message to Our Customers

#794

Post by rudolf0 »

yung_badlady wrote: post #788
berkeleynerd wrote: post #779

A friend of mine at Apple reported multiple Black Vehicles (Lincoln Town Cars and Escalades) with at least one having MD License Plates at the Apple Executive Briefing Center this morning between 11AM and Noon. Occupants had ear pieces and sun glasses and were accompanied by a CHP (California Highway Patrol) cruiser and three motorcycle escorts. I suppose it's possible this was a quick (less than 1 hour) VIP stop but…

What's intimidating about sun glasses and ear pieces?

Nothing. Bringing a bunch of special agents along with you to a meeting is intimidating, though.

I suppose in their defense, they may be the particular agents working on the San Bernadino case, who arrived to explain exactly why they need the access or whatever.

Re: A Message to Our Customers

#795

Post by [deleted] »

berkeleynerd wrote: post #779

A friend of mine at Apple reported multiple Black Vehicles (Lincoln Town Cars and Escalades) with at least one having MD License Plates at the Apple Executive Briefing Center this morning between 11AM and Noon. Occupants had ear pieces and sun glasses and were accompanied by a CHP (California Highway Patrol) cruiser and three motorcycle escorts. I suppose it's possible this was a quick (less than 1 hour) VIP stop but…

[deleted]

Re: A Message to Our Customers

#796

Post by la6470 »

Common good trumps individual privacy concerns.

Apple created the lock that helped the bad guy ... Now as the locksmith they must produce the key.

It is common sense.

-20 for apple.

Re: A Message to Our Customers

#797

Post by gukov »

tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #720
function_seven wrote: post #649

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not saying I necessarily agree (or disagree), but the premise is that right now iOS phones are the only ones that do security right, out of the box. They're worth the premium price for that feature. As soon as they no longer have that edge, there's no reason to choose them over any commodity Android device, so sales would drop as they lose their differentiating feature.

Honestly, I doubt that a significant number of people is buying the iPhone for its security features.

Just like people buying Beats headphones for sound quality (they're not).

People that really care about security don't use smartphones.

Re: A Message to Our Customers

#799

Post by nemothekid »

cognivore wrote: post #773
unimpressive wrote: post #749

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay so ignoring the fact that this would be insane from a business perspective. It also doesn't make sense from a game theory perspective, if you're a Good Company that's going to fight on this issue, it makes sense to be in business as long as possible to be a pain in the rear for authoritarian jerks. If every company who was willing to stand up to these guys went out of business immediately after you'd only have p…

It's no longer a business issue, and if it is, then Apple is just posing. Apple's positive affect on our economy, our technology, and even our nation, would make such a line that our government would have to think long and hard about pursing their demands. Imagine if Apple, and the tech community as a whole, stood behind that decision. Of course they won't because they rather be rich than free.

>Imagine if Apple, and the tech community as a whole, stood behind that decision.

You didn't counter his point. Again, its insane from a Game Theory perspective, it would require all players in the tech community to be effective, whereas if one person defects he now has access to a huge market where all the incumbents are gone.

Apple doing this would just mean "someone is going to create backdoor'd phones and capture the market, just not us", and we would get nowhere.

Re: A Message to Our Customers

#800

Post by hn9780470248775 »

berkeleynerd wrote: post #779

A friend of mine at Apple reported multiple Black Vehicles (Lincoln Town Cars and Escalades) with at least one having MD License Plates at the Apple Executive Briefing Center this morning between 11AM and Noon. Occupants had ear pieces and sun glasses and were accompanied by a CHP (California Highway Patrol) cruiser and three motorcycle escorts. I suppose it's possible this was a quick (less than 1 hour) VIP stop but…

> at least one having MD License Plates

Don't vehicles used by federal agencies typically bear U.S. Government license plates?

Post reply on HN