FBI raises concern about Apple and Google encryption

- Apple and Google have won praise
from privacy proponents for efforts to encrypt their latest
smartphones in a way that would prevent law
enforcement from accessing certain private data. The
FBI, not so much.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey
told reporters Thursday that the agency is talking to
both companies to raise concerns that their privacy
efforts could hinder criminal investigations.
Apple last week touted that with release of its latest
operating system iOS8, it no longer could bypass the
smartphone user passwords.
"So it's not technically feasible for us to respond to
government warrants for the extraction of this
data from devices in their possession running
iOS 8," Apple said in a blog post.
Google quickly followed suit, saying it already
had such technology in phones running its
Android operating system, but that "as part of
our next Android release, encryption will be
enabled by default out of the box, so you
won't even have to think about turning it on."
Comey said that he was "very concerned" that
the companies were "marketing something
expressly to allow people to place themselves
above the law."
Revelations by former National Security
Agency contractor Edward Snowden of
government mass surveillance programs has
posed problems for U.S. tech companies,
which are required by federal law to cooperate
with surveillance program requests.
Concerned that the revelations will damage
their businesses, particularly in foreign
markets, the companies have taken a more
public role in pushing back on the
surveillance programs.
Yahoo, which fought a losing court battle against some
surveillance requests, recently won a fight to make
public secret court documents detailing that battle. The
company used the information to tout its efforts to
protect the privacy of its customers.
The FBI director said he understood the privacy
concerns in the wake of Snowden. But he noted that the
FBI sometimes has an urgent need to access data, such
as in cases of kidnappings or terrorism.
Comey said he supports the idea that the FBI should
have a warrant from a judge to take a look into
someone's closet, or smartphone, but added he couldn't
support "the notion someone would market a closet that
would never be open."

Via:CNN