from Hacker News

Apple's Tim Cook defends encryption. When will other tech CEOs do so?

by wwayer on 12/23/15, 4:30 PM with 82 comments

• by tptacek on 12/23/15, 5:50 PM

  You mean like how Google got ECC forward-secure TLS deployed across the whole Internet?

  I have nothing but respect for Apple's stance with regard to cryptography, but Google has been more instrumental in getting strong crypto deployed on the Internet, and, just as importantly, in sweeping the minefield of crappy 90s crypto that defined most Internet crypto until recently.

• by georgestephanis on 12/23/15, 5:49 PM

  Bruce Schneier has one of the best posts I've ever read on why Encryption is important here: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2015/06/why_we_encryp... -- great resource to share to people who don't understand it.

• by robotcookies on 12/23/15, 6:09 PM

  The issue I have with Cook's proclaiming support for strong encryption is that Apple still has control over what can and can't install on the user's device. So imagine if some strong agency came and said to a company you can't allow certain apps to install and you can't tell your customers we told you this. "You can allow these apps that claim to encrypt user's messages [list here], but not these [list here]". So some state could still strong arm Apple into compromising privacy and Apple would have their hands clean.

  It seems that if you really want to guarantee privacy, you have to give the individual control over what they can install. Telling people to just "trust us" is not really good enough. And Cook is saying they are giving the user ultimate control by not having keys to their encryption but in reality that's nonsense... they are still requiring people to trust them.

• by sarciszewski on 12/23/15, 6:04 PM

  I recently had this conversation:

      Me, to CEO: Hey, think we should ever build a backdoor into any of our
                  products that employ encryption to help the US government
                  and law enforcement?
      
      CEO, to me: No, that's a terrible idea.
      
      Me, to CEO: Okay good, just making sure we're on the same page.
  

  I don't think there are many honest and competent technology CEOs who would rally against encryption.

• by slg on 12/23/15, 5:56 PM

  I can't be the only one who thinks it is pessimistic to say "if you put a back door in, that back doors for everybody, for good guys and bad guys." Very few people even seem to recognize this as a problem let alone are working to solve it. Maybe we should stop laughing at Clinton and her "Manhattan Project" comment; that might be the only way to get enough tech people on the problem to actually solve it.

• by harryf on 12/23/15, 5:53 PM

  You might expect Amazon to take a stance to reassure AWS customers. Their AWS sales people like to tout AWS's encryption capabilities and the fact that they weren't part of Snowdens leak

• by free2rhyme214 on 12/23/15, 6:26 PM

  It's ironic Tim Cook is defending encryption when Apple gives backdoors with iMessage - http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/fbi-imessage-encryption/

• by mixmastamyk on 12/23/15, 7:34 PM

  > …against the constant threat of criminal hackers and foreign governments.

  Foreign govts? Rather, "against the constant threat of criminal governments and hackers."

• by mschuster91 on 12/23/15, 6:51 PM

  The only reason why Apple is defending encryption is because they're afraid Android (which is open source and thus can be inspected/hardened) could take away iPhone sales from security minded folks.

• by johansch on 12/23/15, 5:37 PM

  Apple has a very weak service portfolio (edit: for a company of their stature. When compared to e.g. Yahoo they are doing great!). Their strength is in client UX. Of course they will defend encryption, it's in their financial interest do so.