Live data from Hacker News

Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

bbc.com

71–80 of 1001 posts

Re: Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

#71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While Apple especially under Tim Cook has done a lot questionable acquiescences under Cook for political expediences, they really didn’t have a choice here. It was the law. Now going back on Twitter to get in the good graces of President Musk and bringing TikTok back to the AppStore even though it is clearly against the law is different.

> they really didn’t have a choice here They did have a choice. They could have said they will just get out of UK. That would have resulted in enough political turmoil in UK that their government would roll back this stupid law. Apple chickened out.

If the UK wants the law to change, that’s up to the citizens of the UK. These are the people they elected.

Don’t expect Apple to rescue the UK citizens to from their own choices.

Re: Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

#72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the parent commenter missed the part where Apple cannot see the encrypted content when ADP is used.

I'm not suggesting Apple should be able to see the content, I'm saying the Police should be able to, when they have a valid court order issued in accordance with the legislation. For example, A 'Personal Recovery Key' could be recorded in a police database. To gain access to 'encrypted' data from Apple, a court order is needed, once they have the encrypted data, they can unencrypt it using the key only they hold. The…

Leaving aside the fact that RIPA was drafted by deranged lunatics and deserves zero compliance from anyone, who the hell would you trust to run this database?

Re: Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they really didn’t have a choice here They did have a choice. They could have said they will just get out of UK. That would have resulted in enough political turmoil in UK that their government would roll back this stupid law. Apple chickened out.

Abandoning the UK market would hurt Apple more than it would hurt the UK. They are not a nation-state, Apple cannot wage diplomacy by threatening the government, they can only shoot their own foot off and say it was for the good of everyone. It would also partially validate the EU's regulation if they abandoned the UK but stayed in Europe. Apple very much doesn't want to feed either side a line.

They could have started with not offering iCloud at all in UK. See how the blowback gets UK government to play ball and rollback the law.

It may have hurt Apple in the short term but helped in the long term.

Re: Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

#74
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s a false dichotomy. Another choice, however unpalatable to all parties, would have been for Apple to stop doing business in the UK.

See my other reply. They could also sell the entire business to Google. Why bother with listing options even worse for everyone involved?

I mean they could have tried not complying, and fighting a lawsuit at the ECHR (right of every person to a private life). Takes money and time but more attractive than the other options.

Re: Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

#76
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're after freedom, you absolutely do not want Singapore or Dubai.

The United States has the strongest laws for freedom of speech. You can't get arrested and face years of criminal legal trials, ending in an £800 fine for making a joke with your dog in America. Police won't show up at your house for Facebook posts like they do in Aussiestan. American courts probably won't take your infant away from you and force a medical procedure on it like in Kiwistan just because you wanted to u…

this is not a free speech issue, it's about key escrow

and the US invented technical crypto backdoors

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip

Re: Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

#77
post #15

As a citizen, I don’t understand what the UK government thinks they are getting here - other than the possibility of leaks of the nation’s most sensitive data. Also is it not possible to set up my Apple account outside of the UK while living here?

I don't know, they've definitely been cracking down on journalists over the past year. Could be an attempt to crack down harder / create a chilling effect

Re: Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

#78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they really didn’t have a choice here They did have a choice. They could have said they will just get out of UK. That would have resulted in enough political turmoil in UK that their government would roll back this stupid law. Apple chickened out.

If the UK wants the law to change, that’s up to the citizens of the UK. These are the people they elected. Don’t expect Apple to rescue the UK citizens to from their own choices.

So, Apple will just give in to whoever is in power? They were not this soft in the San Bernardino case when FBI asked them to unlock a phone.

Re: Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

#79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the parent commenter missed the part where Apple cannot see the encrypted content when ADP is used.

I'm not suggesting Apple should be able to see the content, I'm saying the Police should be able to, when they have a valid court order issued in accordance with the legislation. For example, A 'Personal Recovery Key' could be recorded in a police database. To gain access to 'encrypted' data from Apple, a court order is needed, once they have the encrypted data, they can unencrypt it using the key only they hold. The…

> A 'Personal Recovery Key' could be recorded in a police database.

That's about as secure as not having ADP at all, or worse. If that police database gets compromised, not only my data is accessible to the attackers, but I will be none the wiser about it.

Re: Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

#80
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're after freedom, you absolutely do not want Singapore or Dubai.

The United States has the strongest laws for freedom of speech. You can't get arrested and face years of criminal legal trials, ending in an £800 fine for making a joke with your dog in America. Police won't show up at your house for Facebook posts like they do in Aussiestan. American courts probably won't take your infant away from you and force a medical procedure on it like in Kiwistan just because you wanted to u…

That said, American leadership is still fine with dragnet surveillance and coercing corporations to lie to their audience: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/apple-admits-to-...

Being American has it's perks, but privacy isn't one of them.

Post reply on HN