Tim Cook's open letter about FBI pressure on Apple

On February 16, 2016, Tim Cook, head of Apple, published an open letter on apple.com . In it, he accused the FBI of forcing Apple to build a backdoor (tab) in iOS. There are not so many technical details, but the letter is very interesting. I tried to translate it into Russian. I apologize in advance for possible translation shoals, but I haven’t written in Russian for a long time.



A serious discussion has already flared up in the foreign Internet.

Appeal to our users

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The United States authorities are demanding unprecedented steps from Apple that threaten the safety of our users. We resist this demand, which may have far-reaching consequences that go beyond the judicial process.



This situation calls for public discussion, and we want our users and compatriots to understand what is at stake.

The need for encryption

Smartphones, led by the iPhone, have become an integral part of our lives. People use them to store a huge amount of personal information, ranging from our private correspondence to our photos, music, our notes, our calendars and contacts, our financial information and medical data, even the places where we were and where we are going to go.



All this information should be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it and use it without our knowledge and permission. Users expect Apple and other IT companies to do everything in their power to protect user data. And we at Apple consider it our duty to protect their data.



To compromise the security of our personal information means, in the end, to put our personal security at risk. That is why data encryption has become so important for all of us.



For many years, we have used encryption to protect the personal data of our users, since we believe that this is the only secure way to store information. We ourselves do not even have access to this information, since we believe that the contents of your iPhone are not our business.

The Case of San Bernardino

We were shocked and angry at the San Bernardino terrorist attack that took their lives last December. We mourn the loss and want justice for all who have been affected by these events. A few days after the terrorist attack, the FBI asked us to help, and we made every effort to support the authorities' efforts to investigate this terrible crime. We have no sympathy for terrorists.



When the FBI requested the data we had, we provided it. Apple always follows court orders and search warrants, including in the case of San Bernardino. Also, we identified Apple engineers who advised the FBI. To the FBI, we offered our best thoughts on a few points in the investigation.



We really respect the professionals at the FBI, and we believe that they have good intentions. Up to this point, we have been doing everything we can and within the law at the same time to help them. But now the US authorities are asking us about what we simply do not have at the moment, and what we consider too dangerous to create. The authorities have asked us to embed a “bookmark” ( “backdoor” in the original text - Note ) in the iPhone.



Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the operating system for the iPhone, bypassing several important security elements, and install it on the iPhone restored during the investigation. In the wrong hands, such software that does not currently exist can unlock any iPhone that is physically accessible.



The FBI may use different words to describe such a tool, but be sure that creating an iOS version that will bypass security mechanisms will undoubtedly entail the creation of “bookmarks.” And although the authorities may argue that using this tool will be reduced to just once, there is no way to control such use.

Data security threat

Some may argue that creating a loophole for one iPhone is a simple and neat solution. But such an argument ignores both the basics of computer security and the significance of what the authorities require in this case.



With the modern digital world, the “key” to an encrypted system is information that unlocks data access and data is as secure as this key is protected. When the key is known or there is a way to bypass the code, encryption becomes vulnerable to anyone with this knowledge.



The authorities say that this tool will be used once, only on one phone. But this is simply not the case. Once it is created, it can be used again and again, on any number of devices. In the real world, this is equivalent to a universal key that can open hundreds of millions of locks, from restaurants and banks to shops and houses. No sane person would find it acceptable.



Authorities are asking Apple to hack our own users and end up decades of security improvements that protect our users, including tens of millions of US citizens, from sophisticated hackers and cyber criminals.



We do not know about cases where the authorities forced the American company to expose its customers to a greater risk of attacks. For years, cryptologists and security experts have warned against weakening encryption. Such a weakening only hurts benevolent and law-abiding citizens, those who trust companies like Apple to protect their data. Criminals and attackers will still use encryption, use the tools that are available to them now.

Dangerous precedent

Instead of legitimizing its actions through Congress, the FBI proposes an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 (a regulatory enactment stating that US courts have the right to issue any regulations that promote the establishment of justice, if these regulations are consistent with law and law enforcement practice. - Approx. Per.) To justify the expansion of its powers.



The authorities are trying to force us to remove the security mechanisms and add new features to the operating system, allowing you to enter the password programmatically. This will make it easier to unlock the iPhone using brute force (“brute force” in the original text - Approx. Lane), entering thousands and millions of combinations at the speed of a modern computer.



The possible consequences of this requirement of the authorities chill blood. If the government can use the All Writs Act to hack your iPhone easier, it will allow anyone to get into the iPhone to steal his data. Authorities will be able to further increase the gap in personal security and force Apple to embed spyware to intercept your messages, access your medical or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone and camera without your knowledge.



Confronting this state of affairs is not something that we do not take seriously. We believe that we should openly report this overrun of US government authority.



We challenge the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and love for our country. We believe that it is in everyone’s interest to stop and think about the possible consequences.



Despite the fact that we believe that the FBI has good intentions, this will be the wrong step for the government to force us to embed "bookmarks" in our products. And ultimately, we fear that this requirement

will negatively affect the freedoms and rights that should be protected by our government.



Tim Cook.

In the discussion of this letter, many agree that this is an unequal struggle, and Apple will definitely lose.

There are opinions that Tim Cook is cunning, saying that it is impossible to limit the use of such a backdoor. Since iOS can be signed for a specific device and it will be impossible to put it on another phone.



How do you think, how will everything end and is it really such a big deal?

UPDATE

Several interesting events have happened since the writing of the article.

Apple has answered some of the frequently asked questions about this case.

In short:

Q: Why is Apple opposing a government order?

A: There are two reasons. First, Apple is forced to specifically develop a version of the OS for the authorities, which will allow brute-force passwords. We do not want to consciously weaken the OS protection. Secondly, it will create a legal precedent and the authorities may further ask you to modify something else.



Q: Is it technically possible what the authorities are asking for?

A: Yes.



Q: Can Apple do the OS for this particular phone and make it so that the OS cannot be used again?

A: (Elusive answer). The digital world is not like the physical one, once you create an OS, you can copy it endlessly. Law enforcement agencies have hundreds of iPhones that they want to unlock, and they are just waiting for the FBI to win in this matter.



Q: Did Apple unlock iPhones before that?

A: No. We regularly receive requests for assistance to law enforcement agencies and we have a special team for this. We retrieved data by order of the court from devices older than iOS 8.0. Starting with iOS 8.0, the data on the phone is encrypted and we don’t have to simply retrieve it from the device.



Q: The authorities say that the causes of this conflict lie in the marketing plane.

A: They are wrong. We truly believe that creating a “backdoor” is illegal and will support law-abiding citizens at risk.



Q: Can Apple somehow help the FBI in some other way?

A: We have done everything in our power and within the law. We provided the latest backup from iCloud, but the FBI wants the data newer. We advised them to go to the WiFi zone, to which the phone was connected earlier, and then we would get a fresh backup. But while the phone was at the FBI, the iCloud password was changed and now it is impossible to do (it is not clear from the answer whether the FBI password was changed or someone was on the side).



Q: What will happen next.

A: We would suggest that the authorities withdraw their order on the basis of the All Writs Act and form a commission of industry experts to study the current situation.



- In an interview with the Financial Times, Bill Gates supported the FBI in this conflict (link is not Engadget, because you need a subscription to access an article on FT).



Then he said in an interview with Bloomberg that he was misunderstood ( video )



- The Wall Street Journal reported that the authorities have already prepared a dozen non-terrorist phones in case the FBI forces Apple to unlock this phone (The Verge link, as it requires a subscription to access the WSJ article).



- Wired published a copy of the FBI request (thanks to a5b for the link)



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