FBI should disclose iPhone vulnerability to Apple, Edward Snowden says

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FBI should disclose iPhone vulnerability to Apple, Edward Snowden says

Infamous NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has once again weighed in on the Apple-FBI battle, this time saying that the bureau should disclose the vulnerability used to crack the San Bernardino iPhone in the interest of national cybersecurity.

Apple's attempts to compel disclosure through the court system are "proper," Snowden said during a hosted by NYU Wagner. His remarks were first by VentureBeat.

"When the FBI finds a case that is so exceptional that they have to break the security of the device to get in it, it merits these kinds of exceptional circumstances, they should try to do that," Snowden said. "At the same time, they should make sure they close the door behind them, so that the rest of us, whether we work at UNICEF or whether we work at Starbucks, are safe and don't face the same threats tomorrow."

The bureau revealed last week that it would not submit the method — for which it paid approximately $1 million — for review and possible disclosure by a federal panel. This has been widely panned by security advocates, including Snowden, who argue that the FBI has a responsibility to the public.

"They're not doing it to help [Apple], they're doing it to help the country, they're doing it to help everyone in America who uses those products, who uses those services," Snowden added.

Complicating matters is the fact that it's still unclear whether the FBI even knows what the exploit is, or if it has the legal right to disclose it. Even FBI Director James Comey is reportedly unaware of the identity of the group responsible for unlocking the device.

19 Comments

I don't believe that Apple should be compelled to unlock a device or put a back door in for the FBI, or any other governmental organization.

Likewise the FBI should not feel compelled to share anything with Apple.

Both Apple and the FBI have a responsibility to the public and I honestly feel that the closer they work together the worse off the public will be in the end.

FBI like presidents are above the law these days anyway.

said:

I don't believe that Apple should be compelled to unlock a device or put a back door in for the FBI, or any other governmental organization.

Likewise the FBI should not feel compelled to share anything with Apple.

Both Apple and the FBI have a responsibility to the public and I honestly feel that the closer they work together the worse off the public will be in the end.

It's a shady situation when the FBI is prioritizing its reliance on a network of mercenary hackers, who may sell to foes as well as friends, over protecting everyone's data security. If the FBI pays for a hack it they should pay enough to take it off the market — use it on their case, then see it patched.

techlover said:

I don't believe that Apple should be compelled to unlock a device or put a back door in for the FBI, or any other governmental organization.

Likewise the FBI should not feel compelled to share anything with Apple.

Both Apple and the FBI have a responsibility to the public and I honestly feel that the closer they work together the worse off the public will be in the end.

the difference being, of course, the FBI is a public government body of the people for the people -- and corporations are people too. the FBI is and should always remain in a weaker position as it must serve the public good. if the US people decide our government should share discovered security vulnerabilities with the owners of that tech (which we have, which is why there is a White House public policy requiring this via a review board), then the FBI as a public servant must do so in the interest of the public.

the FBI is not a business or citizen. it is a public servant that serves the interests of the public. we decide, it obeys.

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NemWan said:

techlover said:

I don't believe that Apple should be compelled to unlock a device or put a back door in for the FBI, or any other governmental organization.

Likewise the FBI should not feel compelled to share anything with Apple.

Both Apple and the FBI have a responsibility to the public and I honestly feel that the closer they work together the worse off the public will be in the end.

It's a shady situation when the FBI is prioritizing its reliance on a network of mercenary hackers, who may sell to foes as well as friends, over protecting everyone's data security. If the FBI pays for a hack it they should pay enough to take it off the market — use it on their case, then see it patched.

Good luck with that one. We're talking about hackers, whether they are to be partially trusted or not. Selling the ability to illegally hack into someone's phone (see http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/computer-hacking-and-unauthorized-access-laws.aspx for each state's penal codes relating to illegally hacking into computers) is also illegal so the FBI committed an illegal activity. It doesn't matter if they don't understand how it's done, all that matters is they paid for it, which means US taxpayers money is going to support the activities of designated thieves and criminals (yes, I know the CIA pays criminals all the time and I'm sure the FBI does as well but this activity doesn't justify continuing to do it). If you think a hacker would not try and resell a vulnerability, then you're not aware of who you're talking about. As far as using anything from a hacker, our government shouldn't do doing this and they know it but they don't care.

The FBI has an obligation to the citizens of the United States and to the world to tell Apple about the vulnerability so they can fix it, but the FBI wants the vulnerability to be left unfixed so they can use it over and over again (on the one iPhone they said they were ONLY needing it for).