Doesn't everyone want to catch guys like this [1]?

If not, you're a bad guy and we can discount any argument you put forth am I right?

Am I right?

High five? Anyone?

Anyone?

Point being that the enemies privacy have been waging an extremely successful propaganda war against our position for longer than most privacy advocates have been alive. A campaign that is at once massive and specially calibrated to go unnoticed. (How many connect the 'Telescreen' to the example in [1] in their minds?) They have the power to ensure that hand picked, specific examples, calibrated to inflame, are used as flag bearers in the zeitgeist. They have a long game of very specific goals, coupled with an army of natural language, behavioral psychology, and media experts all dedicated to that singular purpose. They have decades of experience at manipulating populations at scale, and a track record replete with successes.

Meanwhile, we sit on HN and social media talking to each other about how our side will be proven right in the end. You know, 'cuz "freedoms".

We have to start addressing the legitimate points that government and law enforcement types are making, because not doing so cedes more and more ground in public behavior and public opinion to those enemies of privacy. The great irony here is that we ourselves have helped them manage to cast themselves in the public eye as the "champions of safety", due largely to the poorly chosen nature of our bedfellows. We need to start getting out in front of a lot of the legitimate arguments that law enforcement is making, and we need to push back against professionally subtle narratives in the national media that attempt to attach us to yet more unsavory bedfellows.

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[1] - https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/02/us/woman-assaulted-boyfriend-...

because nobody seemed to get the reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telescreen

You mean Portal? https://portal.facebook.com

Call me crazy but I'm thinking of buying one. The fact it has a camera cover and a microphone switch is enough to make me comfortable. I'm just waiting to find out if it's a software switch or hardware switch.

Should be pretty easy to install your own hardware switch.

The way electronics are put together today (lots of glue, e.g. the Surface Book) I'm not so sure about how easy that'd be.

It's called laptop, smartphone and smart tv, is already available and we do know it's already watched and listened to.

^^^ Source Please.

How about the (now former) head of the FBI recommending we cover our front-facing cameras?

https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/23/the-fbi-recommends-you-c...

and, mostly because it's mentioned in the engadget article:

https://twitter.com/topherolson/status/745294977064828929/ph...

hey alexa !

Got any sources to cite for that watching and listening?

Specifically Apple-related and North American examples?

It's hard to take that question serious. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_(surveillance_program)#E... explains why. Snowden leaked it years ago now. There is even a scene about that in the movie.

And Apple-related? North American? That's not relevant at all.

It's relevant to what I want to see.

You boldly claimed that the government is observing me in my home through my devices, and I want you to show your work.

PRISM happens at the ISP level, and doesn't mention directly using iPhones, Macs, HomePods or tv as surveillance endpoints... So, where's your proof showing that they're surveilling US Citizens through those specific devices?

Have a look at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/06/phone-.... https://www.cultofmac.com/260213/nsa-spyware-allegedly-gives..., linked in there, talks even specifically about iPhones.

>Specifically Apple-related and North American examples?

That's an oddly narrow goalpost. Apple shares user encryption keys with the Chinese government, for example, giving the Chinese government access to all iCloud pictures, messages, documents, videos, etc.

> That's an oddly narrow goalpost.

I didn't want to get accused of moving it later. Also, I'm only interested if there's evidence that applies to me. I'm 100% Apple and 100% USA-based, so if there's proof that "the government is listening!" then I want to see it.

Do they? Shit, I thought that they’d set things up that sharing the key was extremely difficult if not impossible without access to the device? That’s disappointing if true, is there a good article on this?

AFAIK this is only true for Chinese citizens or people who bought their phone in China or something but it is still scary.

Yep, Chinese users only. The odd part is that the internet blew up at Google for even proposing it and later cancelling it with project Dragonfly (also only for Chinese users), but Apple quietly went ahead and just did it without many people noticing.

That’s not accurate at all.

In early 2018, Apple forced their users to opt-in to migrating iCloud encryption keys and data to Chinese data centers:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-apple-icloud-insigh...

Chinese government nationalized the data centers six months later, gaining access to all the encryption keys and user iCloud data at rest:

https://mashable.com/article/china-government-apple-icloud-d...

You've missed the fact that the OP said ALL.

Apple does business in China the way they have to do business in China. I don't agree with that, but I'm also quite sure they have not given my iCloud keys to China.

And you missed the point where I said that it was an oddly narrow goalpost.

Also, how exactly was what I said "not accurate at all"? I accuarately said Apple was sharing iCloud data and encryption keys with the Chinese government.

You claimed Apple gives access to ALL iCloud data to China. That is not correct, which is why I pointed that out.

No I did not. You can read the comment thread and see that. That's your own straw man.

"..giving the Chinese government access to all iCloud pictures, .."

Direct quote. Emphasis mine.

>"Apple shares user encryption keys with the Chinese government, for example, giving the Chinese government access to all iCloud pictures, messages, documents, videos, etc."

Is the full sentence with context, meaning access for all the iCloud data for the encryption keys being shared. Don't mince words because you misunderstood the sentence.

There is no grammatical foundation for your parsing of the sentence. If you meant it that way, you wrote it incorrectly.