#End to End Encryption

[embodiedfutures]

UPDATE! REBLOG THIS VERSION!

[tofueatingwokerati]

The UK no longer has end to end encryption thanks to Keir Starmer’s Labour government reanimating the zombie policy that is the Snoopers Charter, first peddled by Theresa May’s Tory government and rejected by the public.

Apple withdrawing end-to-end encrypted backups from the UK "creates a dangerous precedent which authoritarian countries will surely follow".

UK now likened to authoritarian regimes and why Starmer won’t challenge Trump since he is in lock step with US policies, openly goes after sick, disabled, pensioners and poorest, increasing their hardship rather than tax the mega rich. US policy is UK policy.

So what does this mean for Apple users in the UK?

All your data in the cloud is no longer secure in comparison to having ADP enabled and can be accessed by the government upon request. The GDPR is all but dead in the UK, there are now so many government policies that snoop on us by the back door with even news outlets online now charging us for access without *cookies enabled (data farming you whilst you read with no option to opt out unless you pay)

I checked with the ICO myself and it is a fully approved policy despite its contradiction to the rights of consent, removed in the process.

If you want a workaround here are my suggestions

Cancel your iCloud storage, your data will stay on the cloud until the renewal date, use that time to back it up locally or on a flash drive.

Change your iMessage settings to delete audio messages after 2 minutes and permanently delete messages after 30 days.

Alternatively, use a third party messaging app with a delete on read feature and disable Apple iMessage altogether.

If you are tech savvy you can set up a USB drive or flash drive directly into your router hub (you should have at least one USB slot, some have two) and use FTP to back up over wifi, you can do this on any device, you don’t need a desktop.

Use a VPN service or set one up. If you’re really technical you can use a Raspberry Pi to do this, but you will need to hard code it. Think Mr Robot.

This change does not impact sensitive data like medical details which remain end to end encrypted.

If you want to learn more on the sweeping bills being pushed through government and any action your can take visit Big Brother Watch: https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk

*If you want to read news articles without paying for the privilege of not handing over your cookie data, simply disable javascript within your browsers settings and refresh the browser page. Remember to turn it back on when your done. Alternatively disable all cookies but know this will impact your online experience and access.

[allthegeopolitics]

Discord, one of the largest group chat apps in the world, announced on Tuesday that audio and video calls inside the platform will now be end-to-end encrypted (E2EE), meaning even Discord won’t know what users in those conversations talk about.  In the last 10 years, end-to-end encrypted chat went from being a rare exception — think Skype in the mid-2000s — to a technology used by the world’s most popular chat apps, such as iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, and Facebook Messenger, among others. Discord was born as a group chat platform for gamers, with an emphasis on audio calls for users playing online games together, but also became popular with people who simply want a place where a large number of people can interact. 

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[black-in-kansas]

Our Privacy Is In Serious Danger By The Government Right Now...

[ethoraofficial]

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[nando161mando]

"End-to-end encryption is secure because it protects the contents of your communications in transit between the endpoints. If you make one of those endpoints an editor at The Atlantic, no amount of encryption is going to save you from your own stupidity."

[channeledhistory]

Im Vereinigten Königreich kämpft Apple derzeit gegen die Einführung sogenannter Hintertüren in die Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlüsselung des Unternehmens: Diese würden der Polizei und den Geheimdiensten ermöglichen, verschlüsselte Inhalte, darunter Dokumente, Sprachaufzeichnungen und Fotos, bei Bedarf zu entschlüsseln und mitlesen zu können. Sicherheitsexperten warnen: Die Entscheidung könnte weitreichende Folgen für den Einsatz von starker Verschlüsselung haben – und das nicht nur für Kundinnen und Kunden von Apple in Großbritannien.

Anfang Februar hatte die Washington Post als Erste berichtet, dass die britischen Behörden Apple aufgefordert hätten, eine Hintertür in den iCloud-Speicher des Unternehmens einzubauen. Dabei ging es nicht nur darum, Zugriff auf die Inhalte einzelner Konten zu erhalten, sondern um die Möglichkeit, jederzeit jeden iCloud-Account entschlüsseln zu können. [...]

Dass iCloud im Fokus der Behörden steht, hat einen Grund, und der heißt ADP: Advanced Data Protection, erweiterter Datenschutz. Im Dezember 2022 hatte Apple diese Option für seine Nutzerinnen und Nutzer angekündigt. Ist ADP aktiviert, werden zahlreiche Inhalte, die von einem Apple-Gerät aus in iCloud hochgeladen werden, Ende-zu-Ende verschlüsselt. Die Verschlüsselung findet lokal auf dem iPhone oder Mac statt und die dafür notwendigen Schlüssel sind auf dem jeweiligen Gerät hinterlegt. Weder Apple noch Dritte können so die Inhalte in der Cloud entschlüsseln, ohne Zugriff auf das Endgerät zu haben.

[...] Cloudspeicher wie iCloud, Dropbox, Samsung Cloud oder auch Google Photos verschlüsseln zwar prinzipiell alle Inhalte, die von Nutzern hochgeladen werden. Allerdings erst, nachdem diese auf den Servern der Unternehmen gelandet sind. Das bedeutet, dass die Unternehmen über die jeweiligen Schlüssel verfügen und diese, wenn sie per Beschluss dazu aufgefordert werden, mit Strafverfolgungsbehörden teilen können oder müssen. Für die Behörden sind Cloudspeicher ein beliebtes Mittel, um an Informationen zu gelangen. [...]

Bei Strafverfolgern in zahlreichen Ländern stieß die Funktion auf Kritik. Ihr Argument: Starke Verschlüsselung erschwere es ihnen, Straftaten zu verhindern und aufzuklären. Stattdessen helfe sie Terroristen bei der Planung von Anschlägen oder Menschen, die Inhalte wie Fotos von Kindesmissbrauch teilen. [...]

Nach Gesprächen, die sich offenbar über die vergangenen zwei Jahre hinzogen, hat die britische Regierung Apple nun dazu aufgefordert, eine Hintertür in ADP einzubauen. Als rechtliche Grundlage für die Forderung dient der Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) aus dem Jahr 2016. Dieses von den Kritikern Snooper's Charter – Schnüfflergesetz – getaufte Gesetz hat die elektronischen Überwachungsfähigkeiten der britischen Polizei und Geheimdienste deutlich erweitert. Es sieht zudem vor, dass Unternehmen dazu aufgefordert werden können, "technische Kapazitäten aufzubauen, um rechtmäßige Anfragen nach Daten im Rahmen des IPA zu beantworten", wie es in dem Gesetz heißt.

Vergangene Woche hat Apple auf seiner Website deshalb angekündigt, die Advanced Data Protection im Vereinigten Königreich auszusetzen. Eine Erklärung fehlt, was nicht überrascht: Gemäß des IPA darf ein betroffenes Unternehmen nämlich nicht öffentlich machen, wenn es die Aufforderung erhalten hat, technische Maßnahmen zu ergreifen. Von Apple gibt es deshalb auch keine Stellungnahme jenseits der allgemeinen Ansage, "niemals eine Hintertür oder einen Generalschlüssel in unsere Produkte oder Dienstleistungen einzubauen". Wobei einige Experten behaupten, das sei längst geschehen.

Wie verschiedene Medien am Dienstag berichten, habe Apple nun Einspruch vor dem sogenannten Investigatory Powers Tribunal eingereicht. Dabei handelt es sich um ein unabhängiges Gericht, das Beschwerden gegen die britischen Sicherheitsdienste prüft. Wie die Financial Times schreibt, sei es das erste Mal, dass die Bestimmungen zur Aushebelung von Verschlüsselung vor Gericht geprüft werden. Eine mögliche Entscheidung – sowohl für als auch gegen Apple – könnte also weitreichende Folgen haben.

Tatsächlich steht nämlich nicht nur die Option auf starke Verschlüsselung in Großbritannien auf dem Spiel, sondern weltweit. Die Bürgerrechtsorganisation Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) schreibt, dass es keinen technischen Kompromiss gebe "zwischen einer starken Verschlüsselung, die Daten schützt, und einem Mechanismus, der einer Regierung einen besonderen Zugang zu diesen Daten ermöglicht". Eine Hintertür in Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlüsselung sei letztlich nur eine zusätzliche Schwachstelle, die für Hackerangriffe, Identitätsdiebstahl und Betrug genutzt werden könne.

[...]

[jose96853]

UK FORCES APPLE TO GRANT GLOBAL ACCESS TO ENCRYPTED USER ACCOUNTS

The UK government has reportedly ordered Apple to create a backdoor that would allow security officials to access users’ encrypted iCloud backups. If Apple complies, British authorities could access backups from any user worldwide, not just UK residents. Additionally, Apple would be prohibited from informing users that their encryption had been compromised. According to The Washington Post, this…

[socialjusticefail]

After complaining about something, the FBI is recommending people do the something.

[coffinsandroses]

Making a sandwich with these slices of bread so nobody other than I knows what's inside

[corvidbrainz]

If you are queer, afab, neurodivergent, scared, an activist, or just value your privacy...

Download Signal. Its on Android, iOS, MacOS, Windows, and Linux (i think both as a flatpak and apk? Still learning the lingo)

Its E2EE (end to end encrypted), non-profit owned, and open source. Discord is fun, but not safe. WhatsApp is accessible, but owned by Meta.

This is primarily aimed at USAmericans like myself, but might be helpful for those in unsafe areas or in unsafe homes.

[mmmm-burnt-eggs]

Oh to be an end to end encryption

[benchkartservices]

Better Videos With End-to-End Procurement Partners

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When selecting a procurement partner for your video production needs, it is essential to consider several factors:

Industry Experience: Look for a partner with a proven track record in the video production industry and a portfolio of successful projects then approach Benchkart.

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[robpegoraro]

The Apple story I wish I'd had time to write this week: The company caves on RCS

'

After Apple killing off the Lightning connector on the iPhone (if only they would remember to do likewise with their input devices), the story I’ve most looked forward to writing about that company would involve it raising the lowest common denominator for Android-to-iPhone text messaging from its current miserable and unencrypted state. So of course that news broke, in the form of an Apple…

[aveyjones]

And the Winner Is . . . Secure My Email

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