Meredith Whittaker

This is great reporting.

In particular, it's shocking that a key pillar of Apple's brand--its commitment to security & its competence at such--was so blithely undermined by Apple's regional policy team, apparently in service of appeasing an angry Modi gov.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/27/india-apple-iphone-hacking/

India targets Apple over its phone hacking notifications

Apple’s warnings to users that it had detected possible efforts to install spyware on iPhones triggered an angry reaction from Indian officials.

The Washington Post
Dec 29, 2023 at 3:58pmWeb
Show threadJohn BreenDec 29, 2023
@Mer__edith I guess this is the problem with using devices and comms infrastructure made by global behemoths who can't afford to offend even the worst fascists and dictators if it means losing market share.
I want to use no device or service that would do what Modi or Xi Jinping or KSA demands of them. Unfortunately, if you want a phone, you effectively have to choose Apple or Google.
Show threadMeredith WhittakerDec 29, 2023
@jab01701mid Yes.
Show threadJan VlugDec 29, 2023

@jab01701mid @Mer__edith
I use a #Librem5 #Linux #phone.

Yes, there are some rough edges. But it gives me #freedom and #privacy.

I run @signalapp #desktop on it, also with some rough edges.

https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

#linuxphones #linuxmobile

Purism - – Librem 5

Introducing the – Librem 5 by Purism

Show threadKingsQuestVTownThemeDec 29, 2023
@janvlug #Purism is a company that systematically rips off their customers, and here "rough around the edges" means you're likely to never even receive the barely functioning product while Purism keeps your money and that if you do, you get a buggy piece of shit #Librem5 with specs that would've been comparable to a 2013 smartphone for an obscene price point. That's not to mention that an #Android phone running #GrapheneOS would likely be more secure for a number of reasons while the kill switches are more or less a gimmick that should be far, far down on most people's list of security concerns. Purism is a scam.
Show threadJan VlugDec 29, 2023

@KQVTownTheme I totally disagree with you. I was a very early #crowdfunder. It took a long time until I received my #Librem5. But I received it. It gets very regular updates, and @purism developers contributed a lot the the #MobileLinux eco system.

Many #surveillancecapitalism companies rip off the data of their customers and make them to the raw resource to capitalize on.

I use my Librem 5 as a daily driver. It integrates great with #Nextcloud.

Show threadjack the nonabrasiveDec 29, 2023
An  News link for subscribers. https://apple.news/AQcHJjl8GTcCXj8OTV1-maw
India targets Apple over its phone hacking notifications — The Washington Post

Apple’s warnings to users that it had detected possible efforts to install spyware on iPhones triggered an angry reaction from Indian officials.

Show threadJohn GordonDec 29, 2023

@Mer__edith @emoryr It’s a long article but I read it very differently from you. I was surprised how strong Apple was in the face of the Modi-lunatic pressure.

“Apple India’s corporate communications executives began privately asking Indian technology journalists to emphasize in their stories that Apple’s warnings could be false alarms and that similar warnings had been issued to users in 150 countries, not just India”

That’s not terrible.

Show threadMeredith WhittakerDec 29, 2023
@jgordon @emoryr Hm I think it is terrible, given the seriousness of these notifications and the fact that at Apple brand comes before everything else.
Show threadJohn GordonDec 29, 2023
@Mer__edith @emoryr I saw it as a minor face saving concession. Of course all the affected parties understand Modi is behind the spying.
Show threadOrca 🌻 | 🎀 | 🪁 | 🏴🏳️‍⚧️Dec 29, 2023
@Mer__edith And GCBD(Guizhou-Cloud Big Data), who runs the part of iCloud for Apple ID registered in China, required by the Beijing government.
Show threadshawnkebabsDec 30, 2023
@Mer__edith a company might portray themselves to be champions of security and privacy but when faced with the sheer force of a government, even an autocratic one, they don’t stand a chance because of the codependent nature of their relationship. These journalists are doing brave things by putting everything on the line and bringing all this to light. Something I don’t have the courage to do
Show threadAral BalkanDec 30, 2023
@Mer__edith Are you implying trillion-dollar corporations are not the bulwarks of human rights and democracy we always imagined they were? ;)
Show threadMeredith WhittakerDec 30, 2023
@aral No! I'm saying that for Apple, brand is everything, whether the branding is "true" or not. And this shows them apparently willing to damage their global brand in a way I'm surprised by, given how much emphasis and investment they put into it.
Show threadStephen FarrugiaDec 30, 2023
@Mer__edith @aral making explicit virtue part of their brand must have been a short-sighted decision. Could it ever be compatible with their position of dominance? The "design" brand is flexible and can be applied to anything, no matter the ethical quandaries. But, "privacy"? Seems like a mistake
Show threadAral BalkanDec 30, 2023
@Mer__edith Yeah, I was developing for their platform for the same reason. Was similarly surprised and I no longer am. Clearly, they’re a trillion-dollar corporation first and everything else later. So likely somewhere there’s a bean counter who weighs the cost to the brand of a relative handful of folks on a niche social network knowing about their misdeeds versus the perception however many millions in advertising and PR will generate. Ethics is PR for these folks.
Show threadintermobility_berlin 🌻🇪🇺Dec 30, 2023
@Mer__edith Well, this reads like all they do is paying lip service to appease the Modi government. Make explicit a few caveats that were implicitly there all along. Sounds like a fair compromise to me.
Show threadSunshineDec 31, 2023
@Mer__edith Want to badly read it but it's paywalled. :(