Apple's New Marketing Plan: Screw the Police (UPDATE: Google Agrees)

Witer / photo on flickr

What does it say about the state of Americans' relationship with their own government that its largest tech company can use the ability to conceal private information from authorities as a selling point?

Apple isn't really focusing on marketing its latest mobile operating system that way (they're more about bragging about how they don't sell info about your personal habits to advertisers), but they aren't shy about pointing out their resistance to rolling over and accepting government data demands. Observant tech journalists have noticed something big in their latest privacy notes. Apple has changed its encryption so that the company itself cannot access the data on its users' phones and iPads without the passcode. Thus, if police or the feds come to Apple with warrants to grab potentially useful private data off a device, they couldn't comply even if they wanted to. Ars Technica explains:

Previously, as we reported in May 2014, if law enforcement came to Apple with a seized device and a valid warrant, it was able to access a substantial portion of the data already on an iPad or iPhone. But under the latest version of iOS, even that will be impossible.

"On devices running iOS 8, your personal data such as photos, messages (including attachments), email, contacts, call history, iTunes content, notes, and reminders is placed under the protection of your passcode," the company wrote on its website Wednesday evening. "Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data. So it's not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8."

To be clear, though, this is not perfect protection. The Washington Post notes that this won't protect data stored elsewhere, like on cloud services. So as certain naked celebrities have recently learned, if there's stuff on your phones or iPads you don't want other people getting their hands on, maybe don't send it up to the cloud.

UPDATE: Today Google announced that the next update to its Android operating system will also encrypt data by default. It already has optional encryption features, but few users seem to know how to use them.

Comments

[Idle Hands]

A young Iphone got it bad because it brown.

[RealCrankyYankee]

Being a heavy metal fan, I prefer this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kakUJARSOc

[kinnath]

Not to worry, the NSA has this covered.

[John Galt]

Apple didn't say anything about it's partners at NSA not sharing information gained through their personal iBackdoors with the police, so it's not like they're lying outright, sort of.

[Poppa Kilo]

Getting any naked selfies from me will be self-punishing.

You have been warned.

[Brandon]

Security hipsters?

[Agile Cyborg]

Apples never had and never will have balls. Something is amiss.

[Brett L]

Their lawyers smell a class action suit?

[LarryA]

They don't need balls. They've engineered themselves out of the line of fire.

[John Galt]

Psst. Don't trust the Apples. They're full of worms.

[MegaloMonocle]

Apple has changed its encryption so that the company itself cannot access the data on its users' phones and iPads without the passcode.

That's nice. What about the users' info on the cloud? What about backdoors by the NSA or others?

[JD the elder]

Yeah, my reaction was, "Oh, they say 'Your information is secure. Trust us.'"

That's cute. Why exactly would you trust them on this? If/when the Feds say, "Give us access, or your execs will go to prison and your company will be fined millions of dollars a day," Apple will fold like a lawn chair.

[John Galt]

The British housed captured German officers in a very plush mansion where they were given fine wine and excellent meals. They encouraged them to feel comfortable and secure. In that type of setting, one of comfort and security, many people have a tendency to talk very openly. And they did. And every inch of the place was bugged and every word uttered was recorded.

Perhaps Apple wouldn't need to fold. Could be they already have.

[Malvolio]

The Feds say, "Give us access, or your execs will go to prison and your company will be fined millions of dollars a day."

Apple says, "We don't have the access to give you."

[MegaloMonocle]

And, what does it tell you about Apple that they just now changed their encryption so that they can't get around it without your passcode?

Now that I think about it, is there anything in the notes that says Apple can't access your passcode?

[sarcasmic]

It's pretty much standard to store passcodes in an encrypted format.

[Drake]

How does this compare to Windows and Android phones?

Now if Apple would let me install a new battery and SD card, I would consider their products.

[MegaloMonocle]

My understanding is that the new Blackberry is the gold standard for security.

[Brett L]

Because nobody uses it?

[The Last American Hero]

Yes, it's called the Battlestar Galactica Security Strategy.

[Drake]

There's a new Blackberry?

[0x90]

There's a new Blackberry?

[John Galt]

Mmm mm.. blackberries.

[ThrashMikki]

Certainly, the government will find a way around this little technical hiccup.....if they haven't already. Still, it does say something about our society and government's ever-encroaching regulations and policies. It's a shame more companies don't at least attempt to thumb their noses at the feds.

[Brendan]

Have they changed it so that apple cannot push apps wirelessly to the phone? If that's still in place, just like it is with Android, then I don't see the point of this.

All they have to do is push a new app that feeds the data from the phone to wherever they want.

[Marty Feldman's Eyes]

"Apple's Patriot-Act-detecting "warrant canary" dies"

"It's been less than a day after the company published its new, excellent privacy policy -- but Gigaom has noticed that the latest Apple transparency report, covering Jan 1-Jun 30 2014, has eliminated the line that says that the company has received no secret Patriot Act "section 215" requests, which come with gag orders prohibiting companies from discussing them."

[LarryA]

Part B of this is if you forget your passcode, your data's toast.

[Banquo]

That should be par for the course for anyone who uses encryption properly.

[LessIsMore]

This seems like a way for Apple to give the technologically-ignorant masses the impression that Apple is "on their side" and giving a finger to the federal government, and protecting their data - while really doing nothing that will, in practice, keep the feds from getting user data.

[Carmelo Cerrelli]

This is the height of technology i must say

[John Galt]

Wouldn't it seem likely that going to lengths to prevent the police from spying will only put them into hardcore hyper-surveillance mode in an attempt to discover what's trying to be hid from them?

[vickiehoangiyv]

my roomate's step-aunt makes $68 /hr on the internet . She has been without work for 6 months but last month her pay was $14315 just working on the internet for a few hours. Get More Info....

???????? http://www.netjob70.com

[chrisjames]

wtf??!!