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Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

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

#591
post #543

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And that's why it is so important to nip this "pedo" / "think of the children" crap right in the bud. Obviously pedos on the interwebs are bad, but hey as long as it's just anime they're whacking off to I don't care too much. But the real abuse, that's done by - especially in the UK - rich and famous people like Jimmy Savile. And you're not gonna catch these pedos with banning encryption, that's a fucking smokescreen…

> But the real abuse, that's done by - especially in the UK - rich and famous people like Jimmy Savile Jimmy Savile was a vile predator. He was protected by the inane customs of the British ruling class. He was not alone among the toffs of England. But do not be mistaken. It is not just the rich and powerful where you find sexual predators. They exist at all levels of society, all genders, most ages (I will except in…

Yeah but if you sell the populace on the idea that pedos are only something that's a threat on the interwebs the populace won't care about all the other pedos, and if there is a pedo scandal like the next Savile the government can just go and shrug and say "we did all we could". And that is the point behind all that pedo scare.

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

#592

I'm sympathetic to the J.D. Vance angle, which is that European governments are increasingly scared of their own people. This is not doing a lot to change my mind.

J.D. Vance's problem with Europe is that we have too many brown people.

As a very privacy-oriented European I don't need American alt-right populists to concern troll about surveillance and privacy in Europe.

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

#593
post #106

Too right, it was far more problematic than they ever made out. > The UK government's demand came through a "technical capability notice" under the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), requiring Apple to create a backdoor that would allow British security officials to access encrypted user data globally. The order would have compromised Apple's Advanced Data Protection feature, which provides end-to-end encryption for iCl…

> What concerns me more is that Apple is the only company audibly making a stand. But still Apple operates in China and Google does not. This is weird to me. Google left China when the government wanted all keys to the citizens data. Apple is making a stand when it's visible and does not threaten their business too much. Apple is not really in the business of protecting your data, they are just good at marketing and…

iCloud in China is operated by a local subsidiary. There is a dedicated screen explaining this when you set up an iCloud account in this region.

They adapt to the local rules of each region, much like they’re doing here in the UK.

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

#594
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?

> Also is it not possible to set up my Apple account outside of the UK while living here?

The ability to turn on Advanced Data Protection does seem to be tied to your iCloud region (as of now I can still turn it on, and I’m in the UK but have an account from overseas).

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

#596

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.

Why do pro-privacy tech folks on here act like Apple is some charity? Apple is a business. It won't fight a citizen's fight on your behalf. It is on citizens to use their democratic power to ensure their representatives act as the voting base wants. Apple's goal is to make money. The government is a representation of your will.

Because while a business goal is to make money, it is not necessarily, unlike what you have 80% of the people here believe, to make the most money possible. Ethics can exist in businesses too.

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

#597
post #553

>Online privacy expert Caro Robson said she believed it was "unprecedented" for a company "simply to withdraw a product rather than cooperate with a government. That is such a self serving comment. If Apple provides UK a backdoor, it weakens all users globally. With this they are following the local law and the country deserves what the rulers of the country want. These experts are a bit much. In the next paragraph t…

It's also just false. Google pulled out of China many years ago because they didn't want to bow to the Chinese government's demands. And they didn't just withdraw a product, they withdraw their entire business.

I wonder what the impact of Apple withdrawing from China will be. I know we are talking about UK, but this made me think.

Not only their sales will reduce, but hey Chinese manufacturing cuts down. By how much? Will it be impactful? I would think so but wonder if it is quantifiable.

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

#598
post #524
post #358

Fundamentally, I think the issue is more about technical literacy amongst the political establishment who consistently rely on the fallacy that having nothing to hide means you have nothing to fear. Especially in the UK which operates as a paternalistic state and enjoys authoritarian support across all parties. On the authoritarianism: these laws are always worded in such a way that they can be applied or targeted va…

It's not literacy. They don't care. They need control, and if establishing control means increased risks for you, it's not something they see as a negative factor. It's your problem, not theirs.

They don't even need control. They want control. Why? Either they're idiots who think they need control or they are tyrants who know they'll need control later on when they start doing seriously tyrannical things.

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

#600
post #106

Too right, it was far more problematic than they ever made out. > The UK government's demand came through a "technical capability notice" under the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), requiring Apple to create a backdoor that would allow British security officials to access encrypted user data globally. The order would have compromised Apple's Advanced Data Protection feature, which provides end-to-end encryption for iCl…

> What concerns me more is that Apple is the only company audibly making a stand. But still Apple operates in China and Google does not. This is weird to me. Google left China when the government wanted all keys to the citizens data. Apple is making a stand when it's visible and does not threaten their business too much. Apple is not really in the business of protecting your data, they are just good at marketing and…

Eh Google had pretty good reasons to not operate in China (not seeing them in this thread, don't recall the details precisely enough to relate here)

Apple is deeply embedded in China (manufacturing) and benefits from a decent (but shrinking) userbase in the country. China isn't asking for the keys to all iphone user data, just data stored in China.

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