Do You Support Apple in their Case with the FBI?

[EmeraldFlame]

16 hours ago, terrytek said:

i am probably the only techie who actually backs the FBI. I think that data they can find off that phone could help decipher why the shooter did it in the first place, and even have data that could possibly take down ISIS.  sure it's a master code, but they could very well destroy it once they're done with it, or if not, just make it super top secret and just hide it away, away from prying hands.

 

16 hours ago, terrytek said:

but really i got nothing to hide, as long as it helps the fbi bring this to a close and maybe use that data with trying to take down isis, i'm all go for it. 

 

The problem that many people have with it is that the FBI doesn't even really have reason to believe that there is data on the phone at all. The phone in question was a phone provided to them by their employer. The FBI have already obtained the call and SMS logs from the service provider which didn't indicate anything on that particular device. Furthermore, the terrorists had went through the trouble of destroying two other phones. If there was actually data on this device it would be reasonably assumed it also would have been destroyed.

Beyond even that, they don't need a special firmware to do this. There are ways to obtain the data otherwise, but since they know there isn't anything worth getting they don't want to spend the money or time. They could very easily desolder the memory, make copies of it in it's entirety, solder a copy back in, give 10 passwords a try until it is wiped, when it is move onto another copy of the chip. Rinse and repeat until you get it unlocked. This is a relatively common tactic in forensics, but is time intensive and can be extremely expensive. If they actually wanted the data from this device, they would have been doing that immediately and would have had it unlocked already.

This case is about setting precedent against encryption, not about this individual iPhone.

Also once it's created and used, the legal precedence will mean that the software can't be destroyed. There are already hundreds of phones lined up waiting to use that legal precedence. Plus both the Government and Apple have had very serious leaks of data. Just because they are big doesn't mean they are untouchable. That OS would absolutely get out into nefarious hands at which point all iOS devices would be compromised. Android would very obviously be the next and with legal precedence set, there wouldn't be much google could do to fight it.

Then there is the issue of the international legal precedence. If the US did demand this, then you can guarantee that other countries will start demanding it too increasing the likelihood even further that it would be leaked, plus the fact that this would mean enemy nations would have the ability to access any phone they wanted to also.

[DebatED Nothing]

19 hours ago, terrytek said:

i am probably the only techie who actually backs the FBI. I think that data they can find off that phone could help decipher why the shooter did it in the first place, and even have data that could possibly take down ISIS.  sure it's a master code, but they could very well destroy it once they're done with it, or if not, just make it super top secret and just hide it away, away from prying hands.

They could destroy it, but they won't.

19 hours ago, terrytek said:

but really i got nothing to hide, as long as it helps the fbi bring this to a close and maybe use that data with trying to take down isis, i'm all go for it. 

You may have nothing to hide, but once this method gets out, which it will, lots of people with things they don't want known, not even necesarilly illegal things, won't be able to hide them from an abusive government for example.