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Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered

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Re: Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered

#21

Post by cromka »

internet2000 wrote: post #19
cromka wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was a decade ago , before the big tech went to brown nose Trump on live TV. We live in different reality nowadays. Apple doesn't even market their encryption and safety anymore, like they did on massive billboards all over the world.

They've only done more since 2016. Lockdown mode: https://support.apple.com/en-us/105120 Advanced Data Protection for iCloud: https://support.apple.com/en-us/108756

Sure, but these are all mere statements. You don't know if they fully back that until there's a public standoff with law enforcement/administration and there weren't any in recent years. Yet at the same time it's hard to believe there were no attempts from that government to decrypt some devices they needed. So the fact we hear nothing about it is also an information to me. Sure, this is all speculation, but all things considered...

Besides, they fully comply with Chinese requirements, so...

PS. Others report Filevault keys are also being backed to iCloud since September and they didn't tell anyone: https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/09/filevault-on-macos-tahoe-...

Re: Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered

#22

Post by _blk »

hsuduebc2 wrote: post #5
davidguetta wrote: post #3

Lol it's been 20 years now that the whole world should stop to be all surprised pikachu about that.

Exactly. Being again and again surprised that corporations will defend you for literally no reason is kinda delusional.

A Proton model makes this very simple: full cooperation and handover and virtually nothing to be extracted from the data. Size is somewhat of a metadata, ip connection points and maybe date of first use and when data changes occurred... I'm all for law enforcement, but that job has to be old-school Proof of Work bound and not using blanket data collection and automated speeding ticket mailer.

But I guess it's not done more because the free data can't be analyzed and sold.

Re: Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered

#23

Post by pjmlp »

internet2000 wrote: post #9
politelemon wrote: post #6

The major OS vendors (apple, google, ms) are complicit in data turnover and have been for over ten years now. It has been reported multiple times so I'm struggling to see the angle being projected here. This feels like click harvesting got the HN "Microsoft bad" crowd.

The San Bernardino iPhone case proves that Apple is very much so not complicit.

The Apple that offers gold statues to authoritarian regimes would certainly behave differently.

People also forget how they kind of always played ball in similar governments.

Re: Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered

#24

Post by stabbles »

lovebeans wrote: post #12

Yes and this is a good thing. No organization, no matter how large or powerful, should be beyond the reach of the law.

That's a false dichotomy. You can hold an organization accountable to the law without requiring them to maintain a "master key" to your private data.

Re: Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered

#25

Post by Noaidi »

nickmccann wrote: post #14
cromka wrote: post #8

Any reason to believe Apple won't do the same with whatever we backup in iCloud?

If you have advanced data protection enabled, Apple claims: “No one else can access your end-to-end encrypted data — not even Apple — and this data remains secure even in the case of a data breach in the cloud.” https://support.apple.com/en-us/102651

Please read this section of Apple's own document before you talk about their "advanced data protection".

The following information may be available from iCloud if a user has enabled Advanced Data Protection for iCloud:

https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/law-enforcement-guidelin...

Do you think Tim Cook gave that gold bar to Trump for nothing?

Re: Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered

#26

Post by lovebeans »

preisschild wrote: post #18
lovebeans wrote: post #12

Yes and this is a good thing. No organization, no matter how large or powerful, should be beyond the reach of the law.

Ideally they wouldnt even have this key / the private data in the first place

The user can opt out of this if they want.

Re: Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered

#28

Post by dist-epoch »

Everybody should have access to your hard drive, not just the FBI, so please do not encrypt your hard-drive.

If you encrypt your drive and upload the key to Microsoft, you are engaging in anti-competitive behavior since you give them access to your data, but not also to the local thief.

Just don't encrypt your drive if you cant be bothered to secure your key. Encryption-neutrality.

Re: Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered

#29

Post by _blk »

Noaidi wrote: post #16

Apple will do this too. Your laptop encryption key is stored in your keychain (without telliing you!). All is needed is a warrant for your iCloud account and they also have access to your laptop. sixcolors.com/post/2025/09/filevault-on-macos-tahoe-no-longer-uses-icloud-to-store-its-recovery-key/

Thanks, that's good to know. I suspect WhatsApp's "we're fully E2E encrypted" would be similar too.

Re: Microsoft will give the FBI a Windows PC data encryption key if ordered

#30

Post by Noaidi »

cromka wrote: post #17
nickmccann wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have advanced data protection enabled, Apple claims: “No one else can access your end-to-end encrypted data — not even Apple — and this data remains secure even in the case of a data breach in the cloud.” https://support.apple.com/en-us/102651

Yeah, the problem is whether they already bent over for Trump admin or not yet.

Yes, I know this sounds conspiratorial, but I think the whole Liquid Ass thing was a rush to put some other software in Apple products to appease the Trump admin.

For example, it is new in Tahoe that they store your filevault encryption key in your icloud keychain without telling you.

https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/09/filevault-on-macos-tahoe-...

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