this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2025
135 points (100.0% liked)

Technology

1815 readers
393 users here now

Which posts fit here?

Anything that is at least tangentially connected to the technology, social media platforms, informational technologies and tech policy.


Rules

1. English onlyTitle and associated content has to be in English.
2. Use original linkPost URL should be the original link to the article (even if paywalled) and archived copies left in the body. It allows avoiding duplicate posts when cross-posting.
3. Respectful communicationAll communication has to be respectful of differing opinions, viewpoints, and experiences.
4. InclusivityEveryone is welcome here regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, color, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.
5. Ad hominem attacksAny kind of personal attacks are expressly forbidden. If you can't argue your position without attacking a person's character, you already lost the argument.
6. Off-topic tangentsStay on topic. Keep it relevant.
7. Instance rules may applyIf something is not covered by community rules, but are against lemmy.zip instance rules, they will be enforced.


Companion communities

!globalnews@lemmy.zip
!interestingshare@lemmy.zip


Icon attribution | Banner attribution


If someone is interested in moderating this community, message @brikox@lemmy.zip.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

The United Kingdom has issued a secret order to Apple. It wants the corporation to build a backdoor for Britain’s security services that it could use to access the cloud accounts of any iPhone user across the planet.

As first reported by The Washington Post, Britain issued the order in secret last month. The U.K. isn’t looking to root around in a specific account for a specific security reason. No, it wants free access to all a user’s encrypted material, full stop. The U.K is making the demand under a 2016 law called the Investigatory Powers Act, derisively known as the Snooper’s Charter.

top 25 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 15 points 9 hours ago

The United Kingdom has issued a secret order to Apple.

If they’re so bad at keeping secrets that anyone can read all about them within a month, then they have no business ordering anyone to create software backdoors.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 6 points 8 hours ago

Peasants mad that they're treated like peasants by the aristocracy and their guards.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 49 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

Ahh, the good old government backdoor. Maybe they should ask the Americans how well that went with their telco equipment...

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 29 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (3 children)

"The only good backdoor is my backdoor."

Hmm, that sounds worse than I meant it to.

[–] dumbass@leminal.space 4 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Can confirm, they have a really good backdoor.

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 hours ago (1 children)
[–] dumbass@leminal.space 3 points 4 hours ago

No worries.

[–] cm0002@lemmy.world 11 points 13 hours ago

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[–] WolfmanEightySix@piefed.social 5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

“The only good back door is my wife’s back door”?

[–] pennomi@lemmy.world 9 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

The problem about a backdoor is anyone can get into it. If you need evidence, please see above.

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 4 points 11 hours ago

Why are we talking about my mom?

Or how it's currently going with Elon's installation of unauthorized, networked hardware in many vital government agencies.

[–] RaoulDook@lemmy.world 5 points 11 hours ago

Reminder that the CISA group investigating Salt Typhoon was disbanded by the current nazi administration. Quite disturbing to think how many devices might still be compromised while the investigation has been abandoned.

[–] elgordino@fedia.io 30 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

As a British person I hope Apple pulls all iCloud services including iMessage and FaceTime, rather than comply with this demand. It’s the only way the public will notice.

[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 hours ago

If Apple renamed iMessage something like Leaky Communicator or Insecure Texts (Security Breach)

and renamed FaceTime like FaceTime with you and your government

and then both apps had frequent warnings about data being shared with the government, I wonder how many folks would be willing to go years without ever bothering to do anything to try to fix it.

(btw iOS prompts to contact legislators would go a long way now that I think about it, a la the TikTok thing)

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 14 points 12 hours ago

Sorry man, they won't. Those billions don't get hoarded in tax havens by themselves.

[–] mrodri89@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 hours ago

That's weird coming from the UK. Expect that to be an American thing.

[–] Brain@lemmy.zip 5 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Global access is wild, basically it means if the UK could force this that any five eyes country would then have the same access without needing to look bad to their citizens.

Also, how hard do we expect Apple to fight this? I have a hard time believing they would just pull out of the UK but I could be wrong. From what I understand China has this type of access because they don't allow E2EE.

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

Global access is wild, basically it means if the UK could force this that any five eyes country would then have the same access without needing to look bad to their citizens.

Doesn't the US already have that backdoor? From what you're saying, the UK probably already has access? Not attacking, sincerely asking.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 4 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

Doesn’t the US already have that backdoor?

If they do they aren't admitting it.

[–] Brain@lemmy.zip 3 points 11 hours ago

As far as I know Apple didn't give in, Trump and the FBI wanted it during his first term but I don't think it happened. At least I hope it didn't.

[–] twinnie@feddit.uk 7 points 13 hours ago

Won’t happen. Waste of time and taxpayer money.

[–] autonomoususer@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Only possible as iOS fails to include a libre software license text file. We do not control it, anti-libre software.

[–] Rade0nfighter@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

How so? (Genuine question)

[–] autonomoususer@lemmy.world 3 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

How we going to remove its backdoor when it bans us from changing, controlling, copies of its source code?