Unfortunately, the controversy continues because consumers are not willing to give up the last shreds of privacy that encryption affords them. There’s also a tradeoff between personal privacy and public safety, as evidenced by the court cases surrounding iPhone encryption. No matter what kind of smartphone or tablet you use, someone somewhere knows who or where you are and what you’re doing with it.Īt the same time, there’s a tradeoff between sharing personal information for your personal gain. Personal privacy is becoming harder to achieve in today’s digital world. Courts want sensitive information that could decide someone’s guilt or innocence, but at what cost? The bottom line is that encryption is controversial because everyone wants their data protected but at the same time wants others to give up sensitive information. After all, encryption backdoors would pose a hazard to the data security of every smartphone user, eliminating the benefits of encryption in the first place. While Apple wanted to know how hackers managed to get around their protections, the judge refused to publicize the information.
While past court battles over phone encryption and privacy spurred contention over Apple and other companies’ policies, they also resulted in third-party agencies developing backdoor access methods of their own. The Secure Data Act aims to keep all law enforcement and surveillance agencies from forcing companies to use “backdoor entrances” on products and services, Digital Trends reported. While court cases continue to argue over the legality of “hacking” defendants’ cell phones for information, lawmakers are working on a bill that prevents companies from ratting out consumers. While one judge noted that the court hadn’t addressed the issue of encryption at length, one researcher highlighted the fact that decrypting data is similar to “recreating data,” a grey area when it comes to the court’s use of the information.
However, the defense declared that Seo’s password was the “contents of her mind,” and that disclosing the password was the same as hacking into Seo’s mind.īut the bigger question was whether the encryption on Seo’s iPhone would affect the prosecution’s ability to use the information at all.
(Source: LA Times) Passwords as Contents of the MindĪnother court case involved an iPhone 7 that investigators hoped to use as evidence against Katelin Eunjoo Seo, a woman accused of invasion of privacy, stalking, intimidation, and other charges.
Android devices also feature such protections, although their separate processors and components require a different approach to security. Now, however, Apple has initiated features which block them and anyone else from accessing encrypted user information. Before iOS 8, Apple still had means of providing the authorities with some user information if said officials granted a warrant. In contrast with data that users store in the “cloud,” data on a smartphone is inaccessible by the authorities and, theoretically, anyone else. Their reasoning? If they hack into the iOS platform and bypass the innate security measures, that could expose countless iPhone users to security breaches. Not surprisingly, Apple refused to help the government disable the auto-erase feature, CNET explained. In this case, it remains private by disappearing forever. That’s because Apple’s encryption protection ensures that the user’s information remains private.
Syed Farook used a pin code to protect his encrypted iPhone, and without that code, officials couldn’t access Farook’s information.Īfter ten guesses at the passcode, officials would wipe the iPhone clear by default. The primary controversy over encryption began with a court case that involved an iPhone 5C in the center of the San Bernardino shooting. While most people are probably more concerned with keeping their photos and text messages private for personal reasons, encryption often comes up in modern criminal and other court cases.
Unfortunately, that does not seem to make law enforcement officials happy.
Have you ever forgotten your password or mistyped it, only to have your phone or tablet lock itself for minutes or longer? The idea behind encryption is that it protects your data from unauthorized use.