Matthew GreenJun 11, 2024
So Apple has introduced a new system called “Private Cloud Compute” that allows your phone to offload complex (typically AI) tasks to specialized secure devices in the cloud. I’m still trying to work out what I think about this. So here’s a thread. 1/
Show threadGeoff Simmons

@matthew_d_green Suppose, only for the sake of argument, that these technical measures succeed, and Apple‘s system is as secure as we want it to be. Here‘s my concern.

Years down the line, will their management still be as strongly committed to those goals? It sounds like this comes at considerable cost and effort. Will they *never* give in to the temptation to cut corners?

While reading the thread, I thought of Boeing. Once a model of engineering and safety; look what happened.

Jun 11, 2024 at 12:53pmWeb
Show threadTed LemonJun 11, 2024

@slimhazard @matthew_d_green

I think a more interesting question to ask about Boeing is, "what can we do differently so that failures like this are less likely?"

It's all very well and good to point out potential future problems. The specific problem of what happens if Apple's corporate culture changes is one that sometimes keeps me up at night too—I don't really understand why it's as good as it is, and I want it to stay that way or even improve.

What can we do to facilitate that?

Show threadGeoff SimmonsJun 11, 2024

@abhayakara @matthew_d_green In Boeing‘s case, it‘s usually attributed to management with a certain worldview that took over after the MD merger. Which makes it feel like there‘s always a risk. Who can say what will be in someone‘s head, at some unknown point in the future?

Change the incentives, so that it‘s sure to stick? So that sacrificing privacy is never more profitable than “shareholder value“?

Meaning: legislative and regulatory mandates for computer security.

Show thread👊🇺🇸🔥Jun 11, 2024

@abhayakara @slimhazard @matthew_d_green "I think a more interesting question to ask about Boeing is, "what can we do differently so that failures like this are less likely?""

Make much more thorough use of anti-trust law. U.S. companies can commit all kinds of atrocities and walk away with a slap on the wrist equivalent to a few hours of doing business because they spend billions to put their friends in government regulation positions. Boeing was no different. They had friendly people in the FAA that looked the other way.

John Oliver did an excellent episode on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8oCilY4szc&t=1

Boeing: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

YouTube
Show threadTed LemonJun 11, 2024

@Avitus @slimhazard @matthew_d_green Right. I don’t mean theoretically what should have been done, though. I mean what can _we_ do, individually or collectively, to either support a better regulatory regime or do other things to reward good corporate behavior.

This is not a hypothetical question. I think many people have the model of governance as something someone else does, but that’s how we got here.

Show threadBinary Large OctopusJun 11, 2024
@abhayakara @slimhazard @matthew_d_green
@pluralistic did an informative piece about Boeing, listing lot of things that went wrong and could have been prevented, especially by regulators: https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/01/boeing-boeing/#mrsa
Pluralistic: Boeing’s deliberately defective fleet of flying sky-wreckage (01 May 2024) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

Show threadPyperkubJun 11, 2024
@bloc @abhayakara @slimhazard @matthew_d_green @pluralistic But even more especially by Engineers and not know-nothing MBA's running an Engineering Company!
Show threadSamuelJohnsonJun 11, 2024

@slimhazard @matthew_d_green Related parallel: the proposals to identify child sexual abuse materials shared using messaging systems by creating hashes to "fingerprint" them.

The same technology potentially opens the door to fingerprinting ANYTHING an authoritarian govt doesn't want disseminated, chilling free speech or even criminalising it, including political manifestos, evidence of human rights abuses, environmental info etc.