Apple Has Not Unlocked 70 iPhones for Law Enforcement
TLDR for what follows: Mandated backdoors must be a red line, but
this is not a request for a backdoor and actually seems pretty
reasonable. Trying to argue that the tech industry shouldn&#x27;t help,
even in this case, is not only the wrong position in my book, but a
sure way to lose the bigger debate.<p>My views on the general encryption controversy are:<p>1. Everyone must be free to make their technology as secure as they
possibly can. There can be no mandated weakening of security,
back-doors, or other requirements to make the information more easily
accessible by law enforcement.  On newer iPhones, Apple has patched up the flaw that the FBI wants their help with exploiting.  They must continue to be allowed to do that.<p>2. The government must be able to demand, with a court order
predicated on probable cause, that companies provide any and all
information that they have that could be useful in circumventing their
security features. This can be everything from technical
specifications and threat-model analyses, to lists of unpatched vulnerabilities and code-signing keys.<p>3. It seems to me that American companies have a moral obligation that
goes beyond the legal obligations in point #2. They should be actively
assisting the government in recovering information, especially when
concerning issues of national security. In extreme circumstances, like
total war, this should definitely be legally mandated. I&#x27;m undecided
as to what the policy should be generally. On a practical level, it&#x27;s
probably not feasible for the government to, e.g. start hacking around
the iOS codebase themselves, so just information might not be enough.<p>I&#x27;m not too troubled by this court order, especially given the
particular circumstances. The right to make products as secure as you
can, even from yourself and the government, is what&#x27;s really important
to defend.<p>Trying to argue that the tech industry shouldn&#x27;t help, even in this
case, is not only the wrong position in my book, but a sure way to
lose the bigger debate.<p>Disclaimer: These are obviously my own personal views and nothing else. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies, or practices of anyone but myself.