Comment by studentrob | Hacker News Reader

Comment by studentrob | Hacker News Reader

Doesn't this make the FBI's case weaker with the public and the court, given there would then be more points of attack for hackers?

Comey went on record saying the tool should be secure in Apple's hands because Apple knows what it is doing [1]

And, he didn't even think of this tactic until Darrell Issa suggested it at the Congressional hearing [2].

> Issa: Did you receive the source code from Apple? Did you demand the source code?

> Comey: Did we ask Apple for their source code? Not that I'm aware of

It seems like the FBI is grasping at straws here. Does anyone buy this charade? The PR on the DOJ's side is atrocious. From the beginning, "just about one phone" was obviously a lie, and it's all been downhill since then.

For once, the fear, uncertainty and doubt tactics of the government are not working. I'm happy about that but concerned for our future when law enforcement blames technologists for not handing over data to phones. We need to continue educating each other on these issues regardless of what the courts say, and regardless of what ultimately comes out of Congress.

[1] https://youtu.be/g1GgnbN9oNw?t=2h43m12s

[2] https://youtu.be/g1GgnbN9oNw?t=1h21m33s

You're treating the public case the FBI made earlier as if it reflects its actual beliefs and motivations. Looking at the pattern of actions, rather than the rhetoric, suggests something else to me.

And it's a little early to say that it's not working. It's not working as well as they'd like. It's certainly not working for the echo chamber of HN and tech nerds, but what we think is irrelevant. It's not over 'til the fat lady sings, as they say....

Also, best not to get cocky about whether it's "working" or not. Remember that the government can come back to this again and again with carefully-crafted test cases. They only need to get it right once. We have to fight this off successfully every time.

> It's certainly not working for the echo chamber of HN

True. I would also go a bit further and say it doesn't appear to be working with the House Judiciary Committee. I watched all five and a half hours of the inquiry and overall, the committee including the chairman seemed strongly on Apple's side. There were only 2-3 dissenting positions in favor of the FBI.

Really important point as this gets to the supreme court.

By "working" I meant the latest poll has 47% in support of Apple and 42% in support of the DOJ [1]. That is better than the previous poll which was 51% in favor of DOJ and 38% for Apple [2].

The original poll was biased in favor of the DOJ, since it only framed the question as, "should Apple unlock the phone or not". So it is hard to know if public favor has truly shifted.

Regardless, you're all correct that we need to continue educating each other about this. Find public figures and inform them. 42% is a lot of people who do not understand the issue and implications of what the DOJ is asking.

[1] http://www.dailydot.com/politics/apple-iphone-doj-fbi-wall-s...

[2] http://www.people-press.org/2016/02/22/more-support-for-just...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com