Apple vs. The FBI

12 minute read | Last updated 13-Apr-2018 |  Privacy, Apple, Rant, Society

Update: 13-Apr-2018
This week, Joseph Cox at Motherboard, published a great article highlighting the past and current use by law enforcement in the US of a tool called GreyKey. He followed that up with an article dedicated to the FBI’s response. This new info really slams home the political nature of the original FBI demand of Apple.

Apple and the FBI are currently winding their way through the US court system. This case started with the investigation of a specific attack and has snowballed into a showdown on the limits of personal privacy vs. community interests.

This is a politically charged and very tense issue for a number of reasons including; being tied to the attack in San Bernardino, a continuing lobbying effort around law enforcement “going dark”, and a counter-effort to protect personal privacy and security.

There is a lot of opinion and information being published about this issue. I've collected some of the highlights below to help make it easier to catch up on the issue.

If you're interested in the timeline, you can read this quick summary from CNET or go in depth with the references below;

Timeline

• Week 1
  • 16-Feb-2016
  • 17-Feb-2016
  • 18-Feb-2016
  • 19-Feb-2016
  • 20-Feb-2016
  • 21-Feb-2016
• Week 2
  • 22-Feb-2016
  • 23-Feb-2016
  • 24-Feb-2016
  • 25-Feb-2016
  • 28-Feb-2016
• Week 3
  • 29-Feb-2016
  • 01-Mar-2016
  • 02-Mar-2016
  • 03-Mar-2016
  • 04-Mar-2016
  • 05-Mar-2016
  • 06-Mar-2016
• Week 4
  • 07-Mar-2016
  • 11-Mar-2016
  • 12-Mar-2016
  • 13-Mar-2016
• Week 5
  • 14-Mar-2016
  • 15-Mar-2016
  • 16-Mar-2016
  • 17-Mar-2016
• Week 6
  • 20-Mar-2016
  • 21-Mar-2016
  • 22-Mar-2016
  • 25-Mar-2016
  • 26-Mar-2016
• Week 8
  • 28-Mar-2016
  • 30-Mar-2016

16-Feb-2106

• A Message to Our Customers, from Apple

17-Feb-2016

• a summary timeline from The Verge
• Apple vows to resist FBI demand to crack iPhone linked to San Bernardino attacks, by Ellen Nakashima
• Tim Cook: U.S. government wants ‘something we consider too dangerous to create’, by Ellen Nakashima and J. Freedom du Lac
• Why Apple is in a historic fight with the government over one iPhone, by Ellen Nakashima
• The centuries-old law the government wants to use to unlock a terrorist’s iPhone by Andrea Peterson

18-Feb-2016

• Apple, FBI, and the Burden of Forensic Methodology, by noted iOS forensics expert Jonathan Ździarski
• Apple's Principled Privacy Stance Also Makes Good Business Sense by Matthew Deluca for NBC News
• 10 Reasons Farook’s Work Phone Likely Won’t Have Any Evidence, by noted iOS forensics expert Jonathan Ździarski
• Apple vs. FBI is epic fight over privacy and national security by the team at the Los Angeles Times

• Lost in the noise today is this terrifying detail: Apple can update the Secure Enclave without wiping the data on it https://t.co/98oKW370oR

  — Christopher Soghoian (@csoghoian) February 18, 2016

• How Tim Cook, in iPhone Battle, Became a Bulwark for Digital Privacy by Katie Benner and Nicole Perlroth

19-Feb-2016

• Congress Seeks Apple Testimony Amid FBI Row Over Encryption, by Chris Strohm
• Apple: We tried to help FBI terror probe, but someone changed iCloud password, by Cyrus Farivar
• Justice Department Calls Apple’s Refusal to Unlock iPhone a ‘Marketing Strategy’ by Eric Lichtblau
• Secret Memo Details U.S.’s Broader Strategy to Crack Phones by Michael Riley and Jordan Robertson

• Best summary and analysis of the FBI's assault on iOS security: https://t.co/V0BB8GLrm6 pic.twitter.com/zMWyoIlwLa

  — DHH (@dhh) February 19, 2016

20-Feb-2016

• The FBI’s attack on Apple could force Congress to rule on encryption https://t.co/fnTiAFEbVW pic.twitter.com/uNXSlb8fu7

  — The Verge (@verge) February 20, 2016

• Don't take my word for this. The FBI has been very clear that their need to crack phones goes way beyond terrorism. pic.twitter.com/RXgimmDoSg

  — Matthew Green (@matthewdgreen) February 20, 2016

• Just Google "FBI phone encryption" and work your way back through the articles. You'll see when they switched to the terrorism angle.

  — Matthew Green (@matthewdgreen) February 20, 2016

21-Feb-2016

• Exclusive: San Bernardino victims to oppose Apple on iPhone encryption, by Dan Levine
• On FBI’s Interference with iCloud Backups, by noted iOS forensics expert Jonathan Ździarski
• FBI Says Resetting San Bernardino Shooter’s Apple ID Password Not a Screwup, by Dawn Chmielewski
• On the San Bernardino Suspect’s Apple ID Password Reset by noted Apple pundit John Gruber of Daring Fireball

22-Feb-2016

• Decrypting an iPhone for the FBI, by Bruce Schneier
• Apple CEO: Feds should withdraw demand for iPhone hack help, by Tami Abdollah
• The Lowdown on the Apple-FBI Showdown, by Brian Krebs

• While Apple publicly aligns itself as a defender of privacy, Google isn't even bothering. https://t.co/FV4caIvmP8

  — Christopher Soghoian (@csoghoian) February 22, 2016

• Apple v FBI: engineers would be ashamed to break their own encryption, by Nellie Bowles

• NEW: $AAPL involved in other court fights beyond San Bernardino; Justice Dept seeking data from ~12 other iPhones in criminal cases - DJ

  — CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) February 23, 2016

23-Feb-2016

• Pay attention to this. https://t.co/GGIAYDxuv7

  — Matthew Green (@matthewdgreen) February 23, 2016

• From SANS, iPhone Forensics - Separating the Facts from Fiction. A Technical Autopsy of the Apple - FBI Debate and watch the discussion;
  

• Unsealed: The list of federal court cases where the US Justice Department wants Apple to extract data from iPhones: https://t.co/664LxckX9A

  — Michael A. Scarcella (@MikeScarcella) February 23, 2016

• Apple v FBI debate remind anyone of Jurassic Park? "We want you to create mutant dinosaurs, but only for safe captivity on this one island."

  — Jon Fortt (@jonfortt) February 23, 2016

• Pro-encryption lawmakers see 'Apple vs. FBI' fight as a chance to educate Congress by Eric Geller
• Apple-FBI Fight Asks: Is Code Protected as Free Speech? by Adam Satariano

• FBI/Apple battle "is over who gets to control software and thus the basic rules of the world we live in."- @granick https://t.co/mQu4whgjw1

  — Kashmir Hill (@kashhill) February 23, 2016

24-Feb-2016

• Reuters: FBI fight with Apple may cause loss of confidence in auto-update mechanisms. https://t.co/GSz4tjLSpb pic.twitter.com/pkasNn0ck0

  — Christopher Soghoian (@csoghoian) February 24, 2016

• Dropbox competitor Box intends to encrypt user data so it can't turn it over to the gov. https://t.co/GSz4tjLSpb pic.twitter.com/ty4b8PqI4b

  — Christopher Soghoian (@csoghoian) February 24, 2016

• Why Canada isn’t having a policy debate over encryption, by Matthew Braga
• The case for using iTunes, not iCloud, to back up your iPhone, by Andrew Cunningham
• I got hacked mid-air while writing an Apple-FBI story, by Steven Petrow

• Manhattan district attorney: Apple forced-unlocks shouldn't be limited to serious crimes. https://t.co/Pvv6JBwWaw pic.twitter.com/dph32BrUEr

  — Christopher Soghoian (@csoghoian) February 24, 2016

• The Apple-FBI Fight Isn’t About Privacy vs. Security. Don’t Be Misled, by Brian Barrett
• Apple Is Said to Be Trying to Make It Harder to Hack iPhones, by Matt Apuzzo and Katie Benner

• Best part of the Apple v. FBI case: Apple has nation-state level financial resources, and has no problem using them https://t.co/YrNH9ZEs9b

  — Jessy Irwin (@jessysaurusrex) February 25, 2016

• FBI's demands undermine security for Apple, the Internet, and you. Get the facts: https://t.co/w1BPdW9IuI

  — EFF (@EFF) February 25, 2016

• Exclusive: Apple CEO Tim Cook Says iPhone-Cracking Software ‘Equivalent of Cancer’, by ABC News
• The FBI wants a backdoor only it can use – but wanting it doesn’t make it possible, by Cory Doctorow

25-Feb-2016

• Main developer of Signal for iOS going to work for Apple. Tough not to read between the lines here. https://t.co/S181aYM9eS

  — Christopher Soghoian (@csoghoian) February 25, 2016

• FBI director: iPhone unlock case may “guide how other courts handle these requests” https://t.co/qLDYn2EtNS pic.twitter.com/jttKJtnFPG

  — ZDNet (@ZDNet) February 25, 2016

• Apple To Tighten iCloud Backup Encryption, by Daring Fireball
• Microsoft takes Apple’s side in iPhone dispute with FBI, by Rachel Lerman and Matt Day

• Here’s Apple’s long-awaited legal response to the FBI https://t.co/M5e0mdXybq pic.twitter.com/SJ0EymL1ce

  — BGR.com (@BGR) February 25, 2016

• The burden ordered by the court is a burden on all of us, and wouldn’t do anything to lessen similar crimes. pic.twitter.com/64hEMzeQAV

  — Jonathan Ździarski (@JZdziarski) February 25, 2016

  By Rachel Lerman Matt Day

• The founding fathers used crypto to protect their communications from the gov they created. https://t.co/2Zii0NjgiX pic.twitter.com/eIugnaqE7S

  — Christopher Soghoian (@csoghoian) February 25, 2016

• Apple brief p. 27 says USG, citing no case, claims that courts have compelled vendors “to write some amount of code." Did it happen in FISC?

  — Barton Gellman (@bartongellman) February 25, 2016

• Tech Companies to Unite in Support of Apple, by Deepa Seetharaman and Jack Nicas
• Really understanding Apple's legal brief in the FBI case, by Nilay Patel

28-Feb-2016

• Really understanding Apple's legal brief in the FBI case, by Nilay Patel

29-Feb-2016

• Here's what Apple’s top lawyer will tell Congress tomorrow, by Alex Heath
• Apple Wins Major Court Victory Against FBI in a Case Similar to San Bernardino, by Glenn Greenwald and Jenna McLaughlin

• FBI claims it has no records of its decision to delete its recommendation to encrypt your p… https://t.co/8aiHINkSTr pic.twitter.com/q3NC78weIp

  — Boing Boing (@BoingBoing) February 29, 2016

01-Mar-2016

• Who Do They Think They Are?: The Apple Customer Letter, by Anna Manley

02-Mar-2016

• Apple Gets Tech Industry Backing in iPhone Dispute, Despite Misgivings, by Nick Wingfield and Mike Isaac

03-Mar-2016

• Success for the FBI in FBI v. Apple is not going to be some magical law enforcement "front door". It'll be this. https://t.co/j6A58NUpAu

  — Matthew Green (@matthewdgreen) March 3, 2016

• Update: Families of San Bernardino victims file brief supporting FBI in encryption case https://t.co/A44cehsDY1 pic.twitter.com/T4ASrPc4xe

  — 9to5Mac  (@9to5mac) March 3, 2016

04-Mar-2016

• We have to remain ever vigilant. https://t.co/LKnKfXKQV4

  — Ann Cavoukian (@AnnCavoukian) March 4, 2016

• Who Needs Apple When the FBI Could Hack Terrorist iPhone Itself, by Selina Wang
• Mr. Fart’s Favorite Colors, Some thoughts on Apple v. FBI, by Blake Ross

• Twitter shreds San Bernardino police #cyberpathogen https://t.co/zEcY0Nm1Qp

  — Rick Holland (@rickhholland) March 5, 2016

• All 20 Filings In Support Of Apple Against The FBI
  https://t.co/NY87fV6QG0

  — David T.S. Fraser (@privacylawyer) March 5, 2016

• Apple vs. FBI: The “Bad” Guys Always Get the “Good” Weapons, by Susan Richardson

• FBI forcing Apple to backdoor the iPhone is virtually identical to FBI issuing you your passcode for your devices.

  — Jonathan Ździarski (@JZdziarski) March 4, 2016

• Apple vs. FBI: The tip of the iceberg as laws can’t keep up with tech, by Vivek Wadhwa

06-Mar-2016

• Apple VP: The FBI wants to roll back safeguards that keep us a step ahead of criminals, by Craig Federighi

07-Mar-2016

• The World’s Not Waiting for California: France Moves to Enforce Decryption, by Daniel Severson

• Apple iOS v9.2.1 - Multiple PassCode Bypass Vulnerabilities - https://t.co/JCCt6vJ17B … researchers assure me it's been verified.

  — Alan Woodward (@ProfWoodward) March 7, 2016

• Justice Department Asks Judge to Review Pro-Apple Ruling in iPhone Case, by Devlin Barrett

11-Mar-2016

• FBI 'could force Apple to hand over private key', by Alex Hern
• Microsoft: We Store Disk Encryption Keys, But We’ve Never Given Them to Cops, by Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
• Government Can't Let Smartphones Be `Black Boxes,' Obama Says, by Justin Sink

• Either FBI doesn't appreciate the significance of its demand, or it doesn't want the public to appreciate it. https://t.co/tHxtnqwT4L

  — Jameel Jaffer (@JameelJaffer) March 11, 2016

12-Mar-2016

• Here we go. Line by line on why @POTUS is dangerously wrong on encryption. https://t.co/1WsdIj4oKU

  — Mike Masnick (@mmasnick) March 12, 2016

• Under state laws, many clergy, lawyers and doctors’ documents are warrant-proof. There is justification for warrant proof iPhone design.

  — Jonathan Ździarski (@JZdziarski) March 12, 2016

• A diplomatic pouch is warrant-proof. Diplomats use iPhones. There are reasons to justify a warrant proof design.

  — Jonathan Ździarski (@JZdziarski) March 12, 2016

• The Privacy Protection Act makes journalist documents warrant-proof. Journalists use iPhones. There are reasons justifying such a design.

  — Jonathan Ździarski (@JZdziarski) March 12, 2016

• Dear Pres. Obama: you just described the reason people support strong encryption--because they can't trust politics. pic.twitter.com/839feTh2ak

  — Matthew Green (@matthewdgreen) March 12, 2016

• An Example of “Warrant-Friendly Security”, by Jonathan Zdziarski
• WhatsApp Encryption Said to Stymie Wiretap Order, by Matt Apuzzo
• Why Are We Fighting the Crypto Wars Again?, by Steven Levy

• UK's coming #IPBill forces all tech companies to build back doors, gags them about the fact and their use. Dystopian https://t.co/UtaCf93vYI

  — DHH (@dhh) March 12, 2016

• New York City's $8 Master Key, by Daring Fireball

13-Mar-2016

14-Mar-2016

• #FBI threatens to Force #Apple to Hand Over #iOS Source Code https://t.co/JrLdLIVSpt pic.twitter.com/qq2uUeFgQC

  — The Hacker News (@TheHackersNews) March 14, 2016

15-Mar-2016

• Apple just filed its final response before it meets the FBI in court, by Kif Leswing

16-Mar-2016

• Apple's Brief Hits the FBI With a Withering Fact Check, by Kim Zetter
• The Law is Clear: The FBI Cannot Make Apple Rewrite its OS, by Susan Crawford

17-Mar-2016

• Here’s the Full Transcript of TIME’s Interview With Apple CEO Tim Cook, by Nancy Gibbs and Lev Grossman

• This is going to be the new bar for cloud services companies. https://t.co/rQTorlcjLF

  — Matthew Green (@matthewdgreen) March 17, 2016

• The Apple Fight Is About All of Us, by Rainey Reitman

• Great speculation about job prospects for principled Apple engineers, from a former Apple security manager pic.twitter.com/FvbWN4Hce2

  — Parker Higgins (@xor) March 17, 2016

• Soldiers refuse unlawful orders. So do engineers. https://t.co/TDI2bW9Qmz pic.twitter.com/Ks22gkPGvy

  — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) March 17, 2016

• The FBI vs Not Just Apple, by Emily Hong

• DOJ asked FISA court to force tech firms to hand over source code. Scoop by @zackwhittaker https://t.co/RkkkxgEzOo pic.twitter.com/zFRlzvhYn5

  — Christopher Soghoian (@csoghoian) March 17, 2016

18-Mar-2016

• Apple sees weakness in FBI hearing request, by Martyn Williams

20-Mar-2106

• The Behind-the-Scenes Fight Between Apple and the FBI, by Adam Satariano
• Tim Cook addresses FBI & encryption controversy at Apple’s press event: ‘we owe it to our customers’, by Jordan Kahn

21-Mar-2106

• Feds gain postponement of iPhone hearing, by Josh Gerstein and Tony Romm
• Attack of the Week: Apple iMessage, by Matthew Green
• Apple 'privacy czars' grapple with internal conflicts over user data, by Julia Love

22-Mar-2106

• My Take on FBI’s “Alternative” Method, by Jonathan Ździarski

25-Mar-2106

• Apple vs. FBI is over, but the encryption battle rages on, by Caroline Craig

26-Mar-2106

• In Apple vs. FBI, Remember the Memory Chip, by Robert Hackett

28-Mar-2106

• Fallacy of "give one country a crypto backdoor & you'll have to give others too" is that it's no longer yours to give, it's theirs to find

  — the grugq (@thegrugq) March 28, 2016

• Shock, FBI proves it don't need your courts. The legal process was them being nice.

  — Fenrir (@semibogan) March 28, 2016

• Apple's San Bernardino fight is officially over as government confirms working attack, by Russell Brandom

• It took just over a month after FBI testified under oath that they couldn’t access a locked iPhone… to access a locked iPhone.

  — Jonathan Ździarski (@JZdziarski) March 28, 2016

• U.S. Says It Has Unlocked iPhone Without Apple, by Katie Benner and Eric Lichtblau

• From Apple’s iOS Security guide. shakes fist pic.twitter.com/kMvHIB5Yg5

  — Jonathan Ździarski (@JZdziarski) March 28, 2016

• Here's @Snowden weeks ago on the FBI's now-disproven claim that it needs Apple for access https://t.co/0hVfnRFKOE pic.twitter.com/WjWVSuImgo

  — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 28, 2016

• FBI Breaks Into San Bernardino iPhone, by Jonathan Ździarski

30-Mar-2106

• Apple wants the FBI to reveal how it hacked the San Bernardino killer's iPhone, by Paresh Dave