DoJ Court Action against Apple

Security experts from VASCO Data Security, Balabit, and STEALTHbits Technologies have the following comments on DoJ Court action against Apple.

[su_note note_color=”#ffffcc” text_color=”#00000″]John Gunn, VP of Communications, VASCO Data Security:

The DOJ is accusing Apple of exploiting the issue of backdoors as a Marketing Strategy while they simultaneously promote the idea that every surveille action is necessary to stop the next terrorist attack. The history of mass surveillance programs doesn’t support this and consumers endorse Apple’s decision to not build-in a known security vulnerability.[/su_note]

[su_note note_color=”#ffffcc” text_color=”#00000″]Csaba Krasznay, PhD, Product Manager, Balabit:

“Just a few weeks ago US and EU made a tentative agreement, called Privacy Shield. One of its major point is to create ‘clear safeguards and transparency obligations on U.S. government access’ (http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-216_en.htm). Although this demand seems to be an internal issue in the United States at the first sight, this is a bad message for EU and its citizens. From the technology perspective, there shouldn’t be a “magic key” to open any encryption on a vendor’s device. If there is such a key, the trust level in the vendor will fail dramatically. This is a true Catch-22.”[/su_note]

[su_note note_color=”#ffffcc” text_color=”#00000″]Jeff Hill, Channel Marketing Manager, STEALTHbits Technologies:

“While it is unlikely Apple can win in a court of law, it is virtually certain they’ll lose in the court of public opinion.  Apple is a powerful company with an army of lawyers and extensive resources, but it’s still no match for a motivated Federal Government.  Irrespective of the legal challenges, however, Apple, the cyber security community, and civil libertarians all need to understand that the average American doesn’t know a backdoor from a screen door, and more importantly, doesn’t care.  Privacy advocates are unquestionably on the right side of this issue philosophically, but in the real world, the vast majority of Americans are less concerned about their credit card being stolen off a less secure iPhone than they are a terrorist collecting automatic weapons and explosives in the next apartment.”[/su_note]

[su_note note_color=”#ffffcc” text_color=”#00000″]Alex Berger, Product Manager, STEALTHbits Technologies:

“Tim Cook asked for public discourse in response to the DOJ ruling that Apple must create a backdoor for the iPhone. The public has risen to the occasion and is discussing this issue with passion. Over the last week, the topic has been discussed everywhere from social media to the evening news, to every office watercooler in the America. The DOJ’s dismissal of Apple’s response as a marketing ploy could be interpreted as a shocking dismissal of the conversation that it has inspired, as well as ambivalence toward the fear underlying the conversation.  Will there come a time when our right to privacy is sacrificed completely in the name of keeping us safe?  Ben Franklin said something like: ‘Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither.’ What would our Founding Fathers say about today’s DoJ action?”[/su_note]