
Apple Helps FBI Track Down Floyd Protester Accused of Firebombing Cop Cars - Bostonian
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/09/16/apple-helps-fbi-track-down-george-floyd-protester-accused-of-firebombing-cop-cars/#358a264e5901
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bzb5
> The case shows how Apple is willing to help even where the context of the
> crime is controversial, namely the Black Lives Matter protests.

Yeah we should give this guy a free pass because these protests are very
legitimate.

Really what’s happened to journalism these days? Is everything an opinion
piece?

~~~
seibelj
I agree, if I firebomb my neighbor’s house it doesn’t matter if I did it in
the name of racism, climate change, etc. It’s still a firebomb.

~~~
OldHand2018
It's pretty unlikely that Joe Random FBI agent had lunch with Tim Cook, told
him the entire backstory, and then said "will you send me his data?", to which
Tim Cook said "sure thing."

It's far more likely that there was no context involved here at all. Someone
at Apple Legal gets an email/fax/in-person visit with a properly-signed
warrant or subpoena. They review it and say "yep, we have to comply" and then
produce the data. There's no "asking" involved here.

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branon
Wonder what Apple's rationale is for acquiescing to requests for iCloud data
while staunchly refusing to unlock physical devices.

Could it simply be the idea that data stored on iCloud is Apple's property and
not yours, while a physical device is treated the other way around?

~~~
matthewdgreen
Refusing to unlock physical devices is good publicity, since it helps with
Apple's image as a privacy company. Cooperating with law enforcement to hand
over iCloud backups means they don't pay much of a price for that publicity.

I'm sure Apple justifies this around their iCloud user agreements and the fact
that third-party stored data doesn't deserve as much protection, but: Android
has deployed end-to-end encrypted backup based on a user-controlled PIN [1]
and Apple has explicitly refused to do this despite having the tech in place
[3], allegedly at the behest of the FBI [2]. Hard to look at this as anything
but a deliberate business decision.

[1] [https://security.googleblog.com/2018/10/google-and-
android-h...](https://security.googleblog.com/2018/10/google-and-android-have-
your-back-by.html) [2] [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi-icloud-
exclusiv...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi-icloud-
exclusive/exclusive-apple-dropped-plan-for-encrypting-backups-after-fbi-
complained-sources-idUSKBN1ZK1CT?il=0) [3]
[https://www.blackhat.com/docs/us-16/materials/us-16-Krstic.p...](https://www.blackhat.com/docs/us-16/materials/us-16-Krstic.pdf)

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valuearb
Apple has already paid a far higher price than Google ever has for protecting
their customers security.

~~~
matthewdgreen
My (small) dog once had a fight with a squirrel. She paid a high price at the
time, and so she learned not to do that anymore. I'm certainly ok with her
decision, but I would suggest that -- unlike my dog -- Apple has end-users who
really need them to keep fighting. They can't sit back and revel in past
glories.

~~~
valuearb
Not disagreeing, just offering a reason but not a justification for their
reluctance to fully encrypt iCloud backups.

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maxharris
I read 538 daily. The violence that "protester" engaged in is directly
contributing to Trump's re-election prospects, to the detriment of us all.

Violence is not the answer.

~~~
gnusty_gnurc
Unfortunately the genie is out of the bottle - when people are convinced of
the overwhelming importance of a higher cause, they find little problem with
resorting to violence and evil. Watch The Baader Meinhof Complex if you want a
historical example.

~~~
tolbish
Your conclusion doesn't make sense. There are many people who do good things
because they are convinced of a higher cause. People go into medicine, or help
at a charity, or go into law for a higher cause all the time.

~~~
gnusty_gnurc
The morally reprehensible stuff is justified by their perceived higher moral
cause.

It's powerful, dangerous stuff that works as motivation for good _and_ bad.

