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A comment on Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 MacBooks to the scrap heap. Parent comment

Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by smoldesu on Friday January 27, 2023 @09:51AM (#34546660)
Because the actually valuable content (the data) is protected, while the disposable part (the hardware) is taken. If you have a responsible backup habit, disaster recovery is as simple as restoring another device. FDE gives you permission to shrug-off lost devices and data, something an unencrypted laptop can't quite offer.
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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by tsimionescu on Friday January 27, 2023 @10:37AM (#34547181)
You've got it the other way around: for a thief stealing a laptop whilee you're careless in a coffee shop, the actually valuable content is the hardware, while the data is the disposable part.

Sometimes the data can be valuable as well (perhaps you can be blackmailed, or perhaps they can steal additional things from your bank accounts etc), but that is far from guaranteed. The hardware has a clear value though.

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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by Taywee on Friday January 27, 2023 @10:37AM (#34547190)
Most people won't shrug off the loss of a material investment of over a thousand dollars.
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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by kube-system on Friday January 27, 2023 @09:54AM (#34546701)
Thieves don't steal devices to sell the data. They steal devices to sell the device.
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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by lwkl on Friday January 27, 2023 @10:41AM (#34547258)
It's not about the thieves intent. It's about the person that ends up with a stolen or recycled device that wasn't properly wiped and now has a bunch of sensitive data on the hard drive (you can find tons of stories like that).

Also industrial espionage is a thing and but I agree with you that's probably a minority of thefts.

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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by kube-system on Friday January 27, 2023 @11:01AM (#34547500)
Yes, I know what FDE is good for. But it doesn't prevent or deter anyone from stealing the device, as Activation Lock does. FDE has no utility in reducing the value of a stolen device, because they can be simply reset to factory settings.
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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by smoldesu on Friday January 27, 2023 @12:16PM (#34548679)
I could also deter thieves from stealing Macbooks by engineering it to detonate the battery when an unauthorized user takes it. That doesn't make it right, or justify the collateral damage caused by the feature.
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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by kube-system on Friday January 27, 2023 @12:24PM (#34548848)
Booby traps are illegal because they harm indiscriminately.
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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by threeseed on Friday January 27, 2023 @01:21PM (#34549684)
Sorry, at what point did anyone suggest that turning the MacBook into a bomb is right or justified.
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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by lwkl on Friday January 27, 2023 @05:27PM (#34552724)
It does in combination with with Activation Lock or similar technology that is available x86 devices.
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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by kube-system on Saturday January 28, 2023 @09:03AM (#34557615)
The claim above being disputed is that FDE alone makes it useless to steal a laptop.
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Re:Apple’s Mac security is so good, it’s sending used M1 Mac... by NovemberWhiskey on Friday January 27, 2023 @11:29AM (#34547877)
Your data is valuable to you, but unless you happen to be Hunter Biden it's probably valueless to anyone else. On the other hand, your hardware is valuable to a thief who can resell it.

Full-disk encryption protects your data. Activation locking dissuades theft.

Personally, I want both.

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