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@DM_Ronin@mstdn.socialthe longer Apple vs UK gov't battle regarding iCloud encryption goes, the more it looks like a circus and an absolute mess that was avoidable
and both sides are responsible for it: UK for issuing the request in the first place in the shadiest possible way; Apple for initially bending in (& giving other gov'ts a signal they may do that) and U-turning by going to court which they should've done in the first place
@DM_Ronin But that kind of legal challenge takes months to come through. The fact that we now see their legal challenge to it means that they did, in fact, start the legal fight months ago - right around when they got the order.
Also, the fact that they were challenging it didn’t exempt them from legally having to follow the order, even the bit that said that couldn’t even mention the order existed. But instead, they unthinkably pulled the plug entirely from E2E encryption in the UK without actually saying why they were doing that.
So where’s this initial “bending in”?
@whybird well, you actually mentioned when they bent in: by plugging E2E encryption from UK entirely.
it's not to say Apple didn't do the right thing after that by challenging it in courts; I fully support it. but when I see Signal's consistent position to shut down the service in [insert country] if one tries to snoop on its users regardless of the orders/notices, and Apple with their "privacy; that's Apple" PR and then backing down for the sake of profits, it's not good.
@DM_Ronin Their only other option would have been to pull out of operating in the UK entirely. I’m not even sure that would be possible at all.
@DM_Ronin That or just giving them the required back door, thus compromising every iPhone user in every country. THAT would have been “bending in”!
@DM_Ronin Sorry to harp, but I woke up this morning with this thought: Apple publicly pulling E2E from the UK is 100% *exactly* like Signal’s position as you describe it.
It was the biggest public corporate FUCK YOU, SPOOKS the UK government spy agencies have ever seen.
@DM_Ronin Apple had little option because once the demand had been made appealing does not stop the clock - so they had to do something and without making an encryption back door all they could do was suspend the service. The UK law is awful, do what we demand, you can appeal but you still must do what we demand anyway until the secret court decides.