Not that we want to make light of law enforcement activities.
The joint efforts of various agencies to catch the Boston bombers within a week is nothing short of extraordinary and let’s not forget the efforts of all of our local public safety officials who do the work that most of us wouldn’t want to do. All of us should say thanks to law enforcement officials any time we interact with them.
That said, something about this story seems ironic and kind of funny. If you’re a movie buff, you’ve likely seen the Gene Hackman and Will Smith thriller, Enemy of the State. The movie painted a picture of a government that knew everything you were doing and what we would call, “secure technology” is nothing more than a play-toy to the government-employed hackers that follow our every move.
Apparently, that isn’t true. A CNET story revealed that the encryption technology on iOS devices is so strong that law enforcement officials routinely contact Apple AAPL for assistance in unlocking the devices. How often is often? Apparently, Apple has seven week waiting list.
According to CNET, this information was found in court documents related to a case involving a Kentucky man accused of distributing crack cocaine. The documents said that ATF agent Rob Maynard, “attempted to locate a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency with the forensic capabilities to unlock" an iPhone 4S. But after each police agency responded by saying they "did not have the forensic capability.”
After that, he apparently called Apple for help. Here’s what you have to wonder: How did that conversation go down the first time law enforcement called?
“Hello. Welcome to Apple. Press 1 for customer service, 2 for media relations (which undoubtedly ends the call), 3 to report a device you found sitting in a bar that we haven’t yet released, or 4 for all other inquiries.”
Then it happens.
“Hello. I’m with the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol and Firearms. We have one of your phones in our procession and need assistance unlocking it.”
“Thank you for holding. This is Peggy. Did you say you’re having trouble getting through level 72 on Candy Crush?”
“No, we’ve sent this phone to every agency in the United States government and we can’t get into it. We really need your help as it’s a high profile case.”
“Hold Please!”
“Sir…this is Tim Cook. Let me get this straight. You’ve not allowed government employees to use our products on your networks because of security concerns but none of your people can get through our encryption?”
“Well, yes…can you help?
“We’ll get to it when we get to it. Probably about seven weeks.”
Could it have been a conversation like this that sparked the recent announcement that iOS devices were being approved for use inside the Pentagon?
Coincidence? Don’t think so.
Disclosure: At the time of the article, Tim Parker was long Apple and getting a good laugh!
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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