Apple Bending Under Government Pressure to Weaken Encryption

Apple Inc. is a well-known contender for digital privacy. The company has been recognized for fighting against requests urged by the U.S. Department of Justice to forcefully unlock iPhones. They now appear to be losing this battle. The President of the United States recently publicly commented on his thoughts with regard to the case with Apple. On January 14th, 2020, Donald J. Trump tweeted:

“We are helping Apple all of the time on TRADE and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements. They will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country, NOW! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”

Around the same time last year, Apple was being lauded for its privacy campaigns. Large billboards stating, “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone”, were erected all over the country. However, following the constant pressure from the government and the FBI, Apple now seems to be backing up and changing its course. Sources have even told the news agency, Reuters, that Apple dropped its plans to give customers the ability to fully encrypt backups of their devices on the Company’s iCloud service. Apple’s decision to drop full encryption backups is an ominous sign that a reform against privacy is taking place. 

Reuters news agency reported that Apple did not want to risk, “being attacked by public officials for protecting criminals, sued for moving previously accessible data out of reach of government agencies or used as an excuse for new legislation against encryption.” In fact, it has been reported that Apple’s non-encrypted iCloud backups can now be searched when requests are made by government agencies or U.S. authorities. While Apple has been rightly arguing that weakening encryption with device back doors will not help solve crimes, it has kept the door open for iCloud backup searches. 

PrivadoVPN believes that privacy is not the act of hiding anything malicious, but a fundamental right to individual privacy. The recent revelations regarding Apple are further indications that citizens of the Internet need to take control of their privacy and not rely on the large incumbent technology companies to do it for them. Having access to a VPN from a trusted provider is essential in this day and age. However, many worry that if a large tech company, such as Apple, can be dissuaded by government officials to protect the privacy of their consumers, how can we trust any US-based companies when it comes to privacy? It is evident that Apple has been making strategic decisions regarding end-to-end encryptions of their services based on requests from the FBI. That is why we also believe that you should opt for VPN providers that are based in areas that have legislation in place to promote and protect individual privacy. 

What happens if PrivadoVPN receives a legal request for user information? Based in Switzerland, we do not store user or customer data that can be traced with a request for information based on a Privado VPN address. That is to say that no information that identifies what you browse, view, or do online via a PrivadoVPN connection can be accessed. This also means that we do not have any data to share with law enforcement and government agencies even if they make a strong case. We believe in the individual’s right to privacy and so should you! 

Protect yourself and secure your privacy with PrivadoVPN.