The Eclectic Light Company:
The UK government, ignoring almost all the expert technical and legal advice put to it, is pressing ahead with its draconian Investigatory Powers Bill, due to undergo its second reading in the House of Commons in a week’s time. Let us suppose that this Bill, as currently before Parliament, were to come into force as it stands, becoming the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA).
And:
Under this, the law enforcement agencies will request the Secretary of State to serve a ‘technical capability notice’ on Apple under section 217, or (less likely) a ‘national security notice’ under section 216. The former would impose a legal obligation on Apple to provide the agencies with a backdoor to unlock locked iPhones, or to provide the agencies with a service to unlock locked iPhones.
Sound familiar?
Neither Apple nor any of its employees would be able to reveal “the existence or contents of the notice”, “except with the permission of the Secretary of State.”
And, finally:
Once Apple has been compelled in complete secrecy to provide a means to unlock iPhones in the UK, the UK security agencies would of course be happy to provide information of that to their US equivalents, who would then use that as a lever against Apple to force it to provide the same facilities in the US. Apple’s staunch defence would be shattered, and Pandora’s Box blown open.
This is an issue that affects all of us. Vigilance required.
It appears it’s time for Apple to relocate corporate HQ offshore to a GFY jurisdiction. (Go Fuck Yourself)
Now, ask if the FBI (which kicked off this shitstorm) is acting in YOUR interests and what you can do about it.
The US’s march toward totalitarianism seems destined to be emulated by despots all over the place, even the UK. (of course the UK is already way ahead of anyplace else in terms of surveillance.)
When I see British legislative and social tendencies, I think they simply wish to make it clear that George Orwell was a UK citizen.
Of course they will be ahead of everyone else in fulfilling his, err, “vision”.
Seriously, the British Nanny and surveillance state is out of control.
I can see there are conservatives everywhere who’d love to have this sort of handy weapon to use against political opponents.
We know what is good for you. Trust us! We are the government.