On November 2, a report surfaced that outlined how Apple’s total encryption of its devices could be a thing of the past in the United Kingdom, in light of a huge security bill making the rounds.
The bill, the Investigatory Powers Bill, was put into draft last week, and as of the time of this writing hadn’t been passed by Parliament just yet, but many believe that it will be, and that it opens up too many doors to the United Kingdom’s government to spy on citizens and access their data whenever they see fit.
Specifically, among other elements, the new bill requires communications companies to hold onto user data/web traffic data for up to one year, and it also states that service providers will be “legally obliged” to assist authorities in gaining access to a device when it is believed to be necessary.
This flies in the face of Apple’s own focus on security, which uses encryption to lock outside eyes from their devices. That includes Apple, which doesn’t have the means to unlock a device that has been secured by a passcode and Touch ID. For its part, Apple is already working against a case in the United States that has agencies requesting that a judge forces Apple to access the content on a specific device, but that judge has already weighed in, saying that forcing Apple to unlock a phone was akin to a company supplying drugs for a lethal injection.
In the United Kingdom, though, if the IPB passes, it will be the law of the land. Apple’s Tim Cook, speaking at Trinity College Dublin, told students that he will “resist” the bill in the United Kingdom, and do what he can to try and convince them that this is not the right path to take:
“We will productively work with the governments to try to convince them that’s also in their best interests in the national security sense.”
Cook also said that leaving a backdoor in the software meant that Apple wouldn’t be the only entity that could access that information. That, no matter what, if a backdoor was implemented, anyone could access it and obtain the information therein:
“…if you leave a back door in the software then there’s no such thing as a back door for the good guys only. If there’s a back door anybody can come in.”
Apple’s focus on security has been a strong one as of late, and Tim Cook has been adamant about keeping it that way, even as the company has faced crucial scrutinization from government agencies.
[via San Jose Mercury News]
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