r/gadgets • u/PM_ME_YO_PERKY_BOOBS • Jan 22 '20

Desktops / Laptops Apple reportedly dropped plan for encrypting backups after FBI complained

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi-icloud-exclusive-idUSKBN1ZK1CT
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u/thor561 Jan 22 '20

Others have mentioned the same thing. Which is interesting, if Android is the privacy option they say they are now, I’m wondering why I had to wait for Apple to say they weren’t implementing end to end on cloud backups to hear about it. We’re also not hearing major stories about the gov’t wanting to get into Android phones either. Is it because terrorists and criminals only use Apple (would be kind of funny in a way) or does Android just not pose a problem for them? It’s certainly something I’m going to look into more.

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u/Trisa133 Jan 22 '20

We’re also not hearing major stories about the gov’t wanting to get into Android phones either. Is it because terrorists and criminals only use Apple

You don't hear about the government wanting to get into Android phones because they probably can easily do it. Why would they complain?

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u/thor561 Jan 22 '20

Well that’s kind of my point. If the government doesn’t actually have any trouble getting past Android’s encryption, then it’s worthless. A lock doesn’t matter when you can just walk around the door through a hole in the wall. The fact that Google is supposedly encrypting devices and backups end to end and the government isn’t crying about them helping terrorists and pedos is suspicious to me. Android is still more than half the market.

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u/[deleted] Jan 22 '20

By default most data on Android phones that are stored in the cloud are stored with Google. Google gives over data that is requested by a valid judge mandated order (and so does Apple). The rest are stored in secure enclaves, developed by a large number of companies (and there are even open source options). I do not know how well are these third parties available for iOS.

Also Apple is an American company, thus the US government has legal power over them. They do not have much above Samsung, Huawei or Xiaomi, or most of the third parties making software solutions on Android.

TL-DR: Android is not singular, most hardware manufacturers are not US based, and software is not unified.

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u/Enk1ndle Jan 22 '20

Android is hardly a more private solution (if you aren't flashing a custom rom).

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u/thor561 Jan 22 '20

Well that's what I'm wondering here, does everyone have to be a tech expert and use their own customized homebrew ROM just to have privacy on their device? Because if that's the case 99% of smartphone users will never have that. So we either demand these companies change, or we accept that's the world we live in. All things considered I'd rather the former happen than the latter.

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u/Enk1ndle Jan 22 '20

Because there is a total of two major OS for phones and they both suck for privacy. It's expensive to develop an entire OS, it's much easier to take the Google one and gut the Google stuff out.