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Apple hires one of the developers behind Signal

techcrunch.com

11–20 of 119 posts

Re: Apple hires one of the developers behind Signal

#11

The CoreOS ( https://coreos.com/ ) security team, or just the core OS security team? If the former, I'm curious what Apple's involvement with that project is.

Presumably the Core OS layer (https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/Miscel...).

Re: Apple hires one of the developers behind Signal

#13

The CoreOS ( https://coreos.com/ ) security team, or just the core OS security team? If the former, I'm curious what Apple's involvement with that project is.

Apple's internal OS development team is called the core OS team, totally unrelated to coreos.com

Re: Apple hires one of the developers behind Signal

#15
post #6

I can understand how people want to put puzzle pieces together, but this is completely idiotic. Whatever remaining security holes there are with secure enclave, they have nothing to do with a software chat app. This is entirely coincidental and has nothing to do with anything. TechCrunch should be ashamed of itself (again) for being such a douchebag. Edit: I'm not saying Apple hiring the guy is stupid. I'm responding…

No, but this is very likely to be them tightening up other parts of their software stack.

Oh right. All the other insecure parts of their software stack. You know, all that other insecure stuff that's notoriously insecure. That one guy who wrote a chat app is going to tighten up.

Come on. Don't pretend this is anything more than it is. A really hard-working guy worked hard and built a thing that worth while. Apple said, "hmmm, it would be easier to buy this person than to hire him." So they did.

There is no one-person fix to secure enclave or any of Apple's other problems. You are being delusional. Apple's problems, such as they are, are systemic and cultural. Apple cannot buy its way into better cloud services or better Siri, or better security, and certainly not with the purchase of a such a small company.

Re: Apple hires one of the developers behind Signal

#16

I can understand how people want to put puzzle pieces together, but this is completely idiotic. Whatever remaining security holes there are with secure enclave, they have nothing to do with a software chat app. This is entirely coincidental and has nothing to do with anything. TechCrunch should be ashamed of itself (again) for being such a douchebag. Edit: I'm not saying Apple hiring the guy is stupid. I'm responding…

It's not idiotic, it's interesting news given the climate. They didn't say what his role or project will be. What's wrong with reporting on Apple hiring a developer of one of the most popular secure messaging tools?

Are you blind to the difference between reporting an event and interpreting the event badly?

Re: Apple hires one of the developers behind Signal

#18

I can understand how people want to put puzzle pieces together, but this is completely idiotic. Whatever remaining security holes there are with secure enclave, they have nothing to do with a software chat app. This is entirely coincidental and has nothing to do with anything. TechCrunch should be ashamed of itself (again) for being such a douchebag. Edit: I'm not saying Apple hiring the guy is stupid. I'm responding…

Is it idiotic to assume a company embroiled in a debate about privacy and security for a communication device-- the biggest driver of revenue for the company, hired someone in the secure communications space to work on communications products?

Also, Apple has a PR problem and can't operate without secure systems. Article title notwithstanding, it is a pretty big deal that while an intelligence agency is coming at them hard they hired a developer, in a very public manner, that's application is used by the very person who made the evidence of surveillance known.

This could be a signal to the market that they not only passively oppose this, but they are actively locking down their systems and they won't cooperate. Seems like a very sharp developer and as a bonus he did secure system messaging so it is not idiotic.

edit: I ammended post to reflect that he is likely not working on iPhone directly.

Re: Apple hires one of the developers behind Signal

#19

I can understand how people want to put puzzle pieces together, but this is completely idiotic. Whatever remaining security holes there are with secure enclave, they have nothing to do with a software chat app. This is entirely coincidental and has nothing to do with anything. TechCrunch should be ashamed of itself (again) for being such a douchebag. Edit: I'm not saying Apple hiring the guy is stupid. I'm responding…

He's not been hired to work on messaging though. He's been hired to work on the Core OS team, i.e. the low level parts of iOS and OS X.

Re: Apple hires one of the developers behind Signal

#20
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, but this is very likely to be them tightening up other parts of their software stack.

Oh right. All the other insecure parts of their software stack. You know, all that other insecure stuff that's notoriously insecure. That one guy who wrote a chat app is going to tighten up. Come on. Don't pretend this is anything more than it is. A really hard-working guy worked hard and built a thing that worth while. Apple said, "hmmm, it would be easier to buy this person than to hire him." So they did. There is…

> "hmmm, it would be easier to buy this person than to hire him."

In what way did they buy him?

Apple didn't buy Whisper Systems. They hired Frederic Jacobs.

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