Apple v FBI: Edward Snowden rubbishes claims intelligence ...

Apple v FBI: Edward Snowden rubbishes claims intelligence agency can't unlock an iPhone

Daniel Miller

Updated

March 10, 2016 17:41:20

Photo:

(L to R) whistleblower Edward Snowden, Apple CEO Tim Cook, FBI director James Comey and Microsoft founder Bill Gates

(Supplied/AFP)

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Intelligence agency whistleblower Edward Snowden says the FBI's claim that it does not have the technical means to unlock a suspect's iPhone without Apple's help is "bullshit".

The former NSA contractor is the latest person to weigh in on

the debate that began when the FBI took Apple to court

to seek an order compelling the tech giant to disable security features on the phone of one of the San Bernardino shooters.

The ongoing case could set a legal precedent on the legality of users encrypting their devices and whether a company can be compelled to defeat its own security measures in the interests of national security.

Apple is resisting the FBI, saying if they did develop a security override it would in fact create a backdoor to the phone that "in the wrong hands" could jeopardise the security of all iPhones.

See what the main players, experts and courts are saying:

'That's bullshit' - Edward Snowden, whistleblower

Speaking via video link from Russia, Mr Snowden told a conference in Washington DC that the FBI's claim it could not unlock the phone without Apple did not stack up.

He alluded to a number of techniques and later tweeted a link to technology researcher Daniel Kahn Gillmor's article, which detailed a method that he claimed could be used to negate the auto-delete security feature of iPhones.

'They can already bypass it' - Daniel Kahn Gillmor, expert

The security feature that wipes an iPhone after 10 incorrect passcodes is one of the measures the FBI has specifically said is stopping them from brute-forcing their way into the iPhone 5C recovered from one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Daniel Kahn Gillmor, a technology fellow for the American Civil Liberties Union, wrote that the FBI could bypass this feature by detaching and making a mirror image of the phone's storage chip.

He claimed that if the FBI incorrectly guessed the passcode 10 times, they could then re-flash the wiped chip with the backup image they made and try all over again.

'I'm totally open to suggestions' - James Comey, FBI director

When asked whether the FBI could clone the memory chip to get around the auto-delete feature, FBI director James Comey told a committee he had not enquired with his people if it was possible.

He was questioned by congressman Darrell Issa on why the FBI should try and compel Apple to defeat its own security measures if the intelligence agency had yet to investigate all means available to it.

"I'm hoping my folks are watching this," Mr Comey replied. "And if you've said something that makes good sense to them, we'll jump on it. We'll let you know."

'It would undeniably create a backdoor' - Tim Cook, Apple CEO

Apple says it has made its engineers available to advise and help the FBI in the San Bernardino case and offered up its "best ideas" on how to unlock the phone.

But CEO Tim Cook said the request to have Apple create a special version of the iPhone operating system that disabled security features and could be installed on the suspect's device was "too dangerous".

"In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession," Mr Cook wrote.

'The debate must take place among legislators' - James Orenstein, US magistrate

In a New York,

federal magistrate James Orenstein sided with Apple

when the Government tried to compel the company to unlock an accused drug dealer's phone.

The case is just one of several where law enforcement agencies would like Apple to bypass the iPhone's security.

The magistrate said that this case did not justify "imposing on Apple the obligations to assist the Government's investigation against its will".

He said the issue of phone encryption and law enforcement access should be debated and decided by legislators.

What the other players are saying:

'Could be a troubling precedent' - Sundar Pichai, Google CEO

'There needs to be a discussion' - Bill Gates, Microsoft founder

'Worst dilemma ever' - Hillary Clinton, US presidential candidate

'Boycott Apple' - Donald Trump, US presidential candidate