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Apple Pulls Encrypted iCloud Security Feature in UK Amid Government Backdoor Demands
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Slope? This is a cliff! It’s not surprising because they really need to catch these people posting memes in the UK and encryption makes it harder for the police to gather this evidence.
I’m guessing the only way you can get security now is turn off all iCloud features? In theory, if you have all iCloud turned off, everything should be still encrypted on your phone and not unencrypted on any remote server. Am I correct on this?
Except for the already in place law against keeping your password secret when asked for it, you should be good yeah 😂
Because he’s actually against people blocking free speech? He might support the whole backdoor to encryption so we’ll see. It was scary to see both the left and right supporting this.
Well they likely aren’t allowed to torture you to retrieve the passwords. Yes you might end up under the jail but your data won’t be compromised.
The only "free speech" he wants is his lies, misinformation and disinformation to legally be allowed online so he can continue the Brainwashing Tour 2025. Any talk of DEI, LGBTQ or anything else he personally doesn't like isn't included.
Sorry, but the bigest fascits are you lovely Labour party. Compared to them Reform are a shinning light.
Liberal democrates that wanted a Referendum ignored? yeah very democratic.
This is deeply disappointing from the UK government. The lack of joined-up thinking in UK politics currently seems to be reflected in so many social, political and economic areas across the board, when many of us hoped for so much more.
Apple encryption is one example.
However, it's only yesterday that I was reading of the data-exploitative immorality of online-presence businesses – and Google's facilitation and lucrative benefiting from that. One of the cases cited was that of gambling firms (not all) whose websites ignored the rejection of cookies etc by the gambler and instead passed his private and personal information on to Google via Google software that was not 'supposed' to be present on the websites and which pre-empted any other website usage options. Rejecting cookies was thus a waste of time for him (and many others) and with serious consequences.
The gambler in the case study, who was trying to quit gambling, received thousands of e-mails over a whole year, on a daily basis, thanks to the 'co-operation' of Google and its business users (the gambling companies in this case), and contrary to his clear instructions to the gambling platforms he used. Utterly outrageous.
We have a digital 'wild west' – the internet – that by a kind of natural osmosis permeates the real world to increasingly make it a veritable 'wild west', too.
The UK government (and other governments) should be legislating to prevent the likes of Google, and indeed any companies who trade in nefarious digital ways, from exploiting us on a regular basis.
Instead the UK government, for example, focuses on Apple's encryption of personal data as problematic, while in fact our personal data is being stolen right, left and centre on a daily basis when it ISN'T encrypted. That's simply shocking social illiteracy and peanut-brained politics on the part of the UK government, and nor are they alone in this.
Then there are all the antiquated computer systems, in the UK's NHS national health system, which are not fit for purpose. A typical example is the Post Office, which installed a new system that never worked in the first place and as a consequence ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands of employees and their families. Post Office should get rid of Fujitsu for a start, to show that things will be different. Elsewhere, these are just the kinds of the areas that genuinely require urgent government attention.
Meanwhile, social media, wholly unregulated in any meaningful ways, continues to rot the real world's community social systems and values EVERYWHERE. So-called free speech isn't free. It often comes with a significant expense. That's why oversight and regulation is necessary. An alarming number of people don't seem to grasp that. (I'm not talking censorship here, either.)
Time for a reset.
Are there any politicians who can think clearly and are willing to help make it happen? Not in the US, it would seem. Not in the UK, it would seem. The tech bros are winning and laughing all the all the way to their banks and the Whitehouse. And Whitehall, here in the UK.
Scary times. When we live in an Alice In Wonderland world where facts are anything you want them to be (if you're a narcissist, a lazy, mendacious thinker, or not a thinker at all), then there can only be one direction, and that's a collective insanity, down to and at the very bottom of a dangerous and destructive barrel. Meanwhile, the UK government fiddles with Apple's encryption policy while 'Rome' – our ability as individuals to avoid chancers and thieves –burns.
Apple encryption is one example.
However, it's only yesterday that I was reading of the data-exploitative immorality of online-presence businesses – and Google's facilitation and lucrative benefiting from that. One of the cases cited was that of gambling firms (not all) whose websites ignored the rejection of cookies etc by the gambler and instead passed his private and personal information on to Google via Google software that was not 'supposed' to be present on the websites and which pre-empted any other website usage options. Rejecting cookies was thus a waste of time for him (and many others) and with serious consequences.
The gambler in the case study, who was trying to quit gambling, received thousands of e-mails over a whole year, on a daily basis, thanks to the 'co-operation' of Google and its business users (the gambling companies in this case), and contrary to his clear instructions to the gambling platforms he used. Utterly outrageous.
We have a digital 'wild west' – the internet – that by a kind of natural osmosis permeates the real world to increasingly make it a veritable 'wild west', too.
The UK government (and other governments) should be legislating to prevent the likes of Google, and indeed any companies who trade in nefarious digital ways, from exploiting us on a regular basis.
Instead the UK government, for example, focuses on Apple's encryption of personal data as problematic, while in fact our personal data is being stolen right, left and centre on a daily basis when it ISN'T encrypted. That's simply shocking social illiteracy and peanut-brained politics on the part of the UK government, and nor are they alone in this.
Then there are all the antiquated computer systems, in the UK's NHS national health system, which are not fit for purpose. A typical example is the Post Office, which installed a new system that never worked in the first place and as a consequence ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands of employees and their families. Post Office should get rid of Fujitsu for a start, to show that things will be different. Elsewhere, these are just the kinds of the areas that genuinely require urgent government attention.
Meanwhile, social media, wholly unregulated in any meaningful ways, continues to rot the real world's community social systems and values EVERYWHERE. So-called free speech isn't free. It often comes with a significant expense. That's why oversight and regulation is necessary. An alarming number of people don't seem to grasp that. (I'm not talking censorship here, either.)
Time for a reset.
Are there any politicians who can think clearly and are willing to help make it happen? Not in the US, it would seem. Not in the UK, it would seem. The tech bros are winning and laughing all the all the way to their banks and the Whitehouse. And Whitehall, here in the UK.
Scary times. When we live in an Alice In Wonderland world where facts are anything you want them to be (if you're a narcissist, a lazy, mendacious thinker, or not a thinker at all), then there can only be one direction, and that's a collective insanity, down to and at the very bottom of a dangerous and destructive barrel. Meanwhile, the UK government fiddles with Apple's encryption policy while 'Rome' – our ability as individuals to avoid chancers and thieves –burns.
You might want to check exceptions and limitations to free speech from a legal perspective in the US. While you have the first amendment, there are exceptions to it that you should be aware of which were set by later legal cases. I would go research it carefully. It is actually on par with restrictions in the UK should you end up in court.
Worth noting as well that it depends of course on the quality of your legal defence. And even if you win, you might be bankrupt afterwards.
That's disgusting accusing you of being that! Well those people deserve no privacy, sadly it isn't a good sign but I pray the media actually report it all properly. Of course the government and Apple have both deliberately chosen this time to announce the news. When everyone is fixated on Ukraine and Trump etc.
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Free speech has to include speech you don’t like or consider “disinformation”. This is because what you consider the truth someone else will say is disinformation and you can’t say it. So far, I have never seen him against anyone having free speech. If he does, then I’m against that. I don’t blindly support people, but I do support positions like free speech.
I really don’t know his position on private citizens, and if they should be allowed encryption. Many politicians are against this.
Nope. You can choose to assault them if you wish, if you cannot control yourself, but you should still face legal consequences.
That's prudent and I share the sentiment, but you've fully dodged the question I asked by answering a different one.
Are you sure they aren't projecting?
I got into a discussion with my ex wife's uncle a few years back about this was told "what are you a nonce trying to hide your stuff?"
He is incidentally in prison right now for being a nonce.
No chance of that. Hell is full to bursting with Republican Nazi sympathisers: Bannon, Musk and the orange Putin appeaser. No wonder the Founding Fathers withheld democracy from the unwashed.
Once I’ve slept on this and am in a less sweary mood I’m going to write to every newspaper asking why they’re not holding the government to account on this (especially the right-wing press who will use any excuse to attack Labour) as well as the Prime Minister.
I don’t actually use E2EE on my iCloud but that doesn’t mean I don’t support it. Getting rid of it makes us more vulnerable to hackers and is a massive infringement of civil liberties.
What next: transparent envelopes on the post? A ban on closing curtains in the evening?!
I don’t actually use E2EE on my iCloud but that doesn’t mean I don’t support it. Getting rid of it makes us more vulnerable to hackers and is a massive infringement of civil liberties.
What next: transparent envelopes on the post? A ban on closing curtains in the evening?!
that’s not an enticing compromise to be honest. I just wish they would mind their own business until such a time as it became their business. ie: actually being investigated for a crime.
Not to mention that it’s extremely easy to just use another service. Any criminal using iCloud to mastermind their deeds is probably a bit stupid at the best of times. They are certainly not child abuse rings or terrorist organisations, which is what is implied to force these types of legislations.
That's a fair point yes, but it is worrying as they now have the power to access at will data which I said in my first post is confusing. Because they do. It have access to iMessage or Facetime etc as it's still encrypted? So it is only does you may backup. And I doubt many do that. I don't have many. Still I do not like this move one bit.