AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson is the latest to weigh in on the issue of data encryption policy with the executive telling The Wall Street Journal that Apple CEO Tim Cook and other tech execs should leave the decision making on encryption policy up to Congress:
“I don’t think it is Silicon Valley’s decision to make about whether encryption is the right thing to do. I understand Tim Cook’s decision, but I don’t think it’s his decision to make”… I personally think that this is an issue that should be decided by the American people and Congress, not by companies,”
…The AT&T chief said his own company has been unfairly singled out in the debate over access to data. “It is silliness to say there’s some kind of conspiracy between the U.S. government and AT&T,” he said, adding that the company turns over information only when accompanied by a warrant or court order.
That statement follows a meeting among Cook, other Silicon Valley executives and White House officials last week to discuss topics related to encryption policies and government access to data.
And that’s just the latest occasion in which Apple under Tim Cook’s leadership has voiced its opinion on the issue with the company becoming increasingly vocal about its stance on encryption and sharing user data with others.
But the issue is once again in the spotlight as it becomes a topic of interest during recent presidential debates. Tech companies and government access to data was one focus at the Democratic debate this week, and just days earlier Apple and Tim Cook were mentioned by name during the Republican presidential debate with candidates asked specifically about Cook’s position on keeping user data private from government.
Recent legislation proposed in at least two states — New York and California — looks to ban iPhone sales if Apple won’t compromise on encryption, which shows you just how heated the debate has gotten.
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Another reason not to like AT&T. Politicians are clueless about technology. Does he want Congress designing the next generation of phones and tablets, too?
These people are not clueless, they know exactly what they’re doing.
I trust AT&T about as far as I can throw a cell tower. Liars and cheats.
Okay, I trust AT&T quite a bit. They are my employer’s and they pay my check. However I differ in opinion from them on quite a bit, I don’t think that e2e encryption is a bad thing, and I do think any back doors are just vulnerabilities. Net neutrality is a good thing and is the reason being an ISP is even profitable in the first place. Also, they don’t lie and cheat, they misdirect and confuse. It’s different because it’s legal. That’s it.
They are your employer’s what?
They can always make an iPhone government edition and sell it only in New York and California. The rest of us will be glad to buy the normal edition
Put a backdoor in one device and a 13 year with nothing to do after school will reverse engineer it and call it jailbreakme 6.0
But, but, but… if a normal edition is made available AT ALL, then criminals will simply buy those! :D
Criminals can buy any phone on the market, just install an E2E comm App, and it’s done…
Do you actually think this had anything to do with criminals? Security, terrorism, and danger are just the tools they use to sell people their freedom.
I trust ANY BUSINESS that handles our data about as far as I can throw the Empire State Building!
It’s up to the American Peoples (Voters) to decide the encryption issue, Can you imagine how the Washington Lobbyists will spin this one? It will bring a whole new level to the art of “Spinning the truth to suit your ends.”
“…The AT&T chief said his own company has been unfairly singled out in the debate over access to data. “It is silliness to say there’s some kind of conspiracy between the U.S. government and AT&T,” he said, adding that the company turns over information only when accompanied by a warrant or court order.”
That’s why the NSA has TOP SECRET locked door rooms at the AT&T TransAtlantic and TransPacific terminations – I’m sure there’s a “Blanket Court Order” to vacuum all the data that passes through those connections.
Randall Stephenson – your secrets have been outed years ago by Author James Bamford’s series of books, but especially “Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency.”
It is not secret that in San Fransisco AT&T has e room that the nSA stores all calls snd sms.
I would rather a tech company then some politician that know nothing about technology except how to maybe view a website and compose an email.
AT&T is the company they never say no to even hackers
They will give them all your information they don’t care
Here we see the attitude of responsible corporations – AT&T putting their head above the parapet, but in fact the attitude taken by the majority of corporations.
In the UK, every single one of the mobile phone service providers will cooperate with law enforcement.
Well done to these guys for speaking out – greedy corporations who obstruct law enforcement disclosure (on warrant) need to be challenged.
Really!
Ever hear of the US Constitution & The Bill of Rights!
Really?
You think the other mobile service providers don’t cooperate with law enforcement?
Only AT&T ??
Laugh.
This is why it only took 3% of us to send you back home with your tail between your legs. You’re a bunch of sissy serfs.
I’m so shocked. You’ve been rude to me. Now I’ll have to stop disagreeing with you.
How many untrained kids with 1950s era small arms and bit of fertiliser did it take to send ‘the greatest nation on earth’ scampering from Iraq with your tails between your legs? Laugh.
Oops! Now I’ve gone and done it too. Look how that rudeness spreads.
Gotta love an American still reminiscing about a war from practically 250 years ago. A war fought on home turf against an army based a few thousand miles away isn’t something to brag about – particularly when your nation is founded by quite a substantial number of British. The history books are already written and they won’t change no matter how much you try.
You tried to stay out of World War I but those pesky Germans kept destroying your shipping. You tried to stay out of World War 2 but those pesky Japs blew up your ships at Pearl Harbor. You fought a battle in Korea. And didn’t win. You fought a battle in Vietnam. And didn’t win. Hell your fledgling nation even fought among THEMSELVES for God sake.
And did it do you any good? No it didn’t. There is NO Western nation as paranoid as you are. You live in complete and utter fear. Fear of your neighbours and laughably your own GOVERNMENT. In fact you are SO paranoid about it you feel the need to carry guns to protect yourself FROM YOUR OWN KIND. And you call the British sissy serfs?
It’s great isn’t it – sitting behind your Englishman designed iPhone and connecting to the Englishman invented internet to criticise the English using the English language because you have freedom of speech granted to you by documents based upon English documents penned by a man descended from an Englishman.
Oh the irony.
Wow Aunty T you have to take it down a few notches there. Englishman invented internet??!!!??! LOL!!!!!! All Davies did was rip Baran’s work (an american) and rename it Packet Switching. Everything about the ARPANET is unBritish. And your Englishman invented iPhone was designed by a person who has lived in America longer than in Britain.
But I guess you brits have always been good at taking someone else’s idea and stuffing it up your behind’s to pretend it’s yours.
Vertsub2015:
Baran was born in Poland incidentally but that is incidental.
As for Brits being good at taking someone else’s idea and pretending it is ours, I’m not so sure, but if we do I make no apology for it because I’ve never forgiven Jon Bon Jovi for taking all the Enigma glory ;)
Aunty Troll:
I fail to see your point about Baran as he was 2 when his family immigrated to North America and was educated in American universities. He probably even spoke Polish with an American accent lol.
The origin of our species is somewhere in Africa. Does that make us all Nigerian?
If there is a backdoor, someone will find it and use it for no good.
The American People have absolutely no say when it comes to issues of public policy. I think Princeton did a study over 20 years of major public policy issues like gun control, etc. and found that even when 90%+ of the American people feel a certain way on any one issue, that is NO reflection of how Congress votes on it. So why is this? It’s because of all the money that is legally allowed to pervade our political system. These elected officials are bought and paid for — bribery is legalized in the USA. Look at how much AT&T pays for Lobbying members of our government every year — it has to be in the tens of millions of dollars. This is why we need someone like Bernie Sanders who will put and end to money in politics once in for all. Money in politics is like a virus — if infects every other issue because of the nature of the beast…and until that is fixed, none of the other issues can be fixed.
AT&T spent over ELEVEN MILLION dollars on lobbying in 2015. Disgusting.
https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000000076
Money is NOT speech!
Actually, according to the Supreme Court – it is.
I sympathize with how you feel, but a new bag over the same pile is going to change nothing. That mindset needs to change. The “great man” is not coming to save us, period.
I’m sorry that you’ve been so deceived. Sanders is no better than Trump. Sanders is a control freak that wants to run everyones lives. And that’s fine for you if you want to be a serf, but some of us want to live free.
Bernie is the only candidate who has a plan to get money out of politics – case closed.
If you don’t support him and nothing gets done about this issue, you will be partly to blame.
This issue affects all others; it’s a virus.
It must be the top priority and it must be fixed first in order to get anything else done.
Bernie is the only one who realizes this and talks about it publicly every chance he gets.
The tradeoffs are worth it to me, if he pledges he will fix money in politics; he has and I believe him.
Juat like the ridiculous name, a ridiculous company
AT&T is right, it’s not Tim Cook’s decision. It’s OUR decision: we, the people, many of whom use Apple’s devices. Tim Cook, for his part, is doing his best to represent our interests to a gaggle of clueless legislatures. We should be contacting our representatives and doing the same.
There’s simply no getting past the fact that Mr. Cook is right when he says that any kind of back-door access will eventually be abused and/or exploited for nefarious purposes. Once that is understood, continued requests for back-door access indicate that the government does not care about the security and privacy of its citizens; that its interests are above our own; that it is above the people. None of us should be comfortable with that, even if we, individually, “have nothing to hide.” It’s also an insult to law enforcement; as if it can’t find criminals and bring them to justice without special keys to locked doors.
Only two things are absolutely certain if a back door is provided: criminals will find an alternative method of encryption, and law-abiding citizens’ data will be compromised.
Correct.
I agree with a lot of what you said but I would argue that “freedom” does allow it to be Tim Cook’s decision. If Apple wants to encrypt their devices, great. If Samsung or someone else doesn’t, that’s their call. These are companies and legislators should not define how they operate their businesses.
What the public should be up in arms and screaming about is to demand that laws be enacted that limit the NSA et al. from syping except under very specific conditions. The NSA is the state agency… they’re the ones we should have open discussions about to determine what is and what is not ok. Apple is a private company and to say that the public (govt, really) should decide how they can do business is very dangerous water to tread. Randall says it like it’s presumed this is not a decision that Tim should be allowed to make. I disagree completely.
I’m pretty sure they were just asking him for an opinion, not to be the decision maker…
I love that pic you chose for the scumbag from ATT… Its probably his reference to what they should do with their customers… .”Stick it up their asses…”, says the ATT CEO.
Screw you, ATT.
They made Tim Cook look like Grumpy Cat.
LOL. One more reason I’m not with that sorry provider anymore, eat shit Randall.
Also cognitive dissonance much? “I understand Tim’s decision, but I don’t think it’s his decision to make”. That means you don’t understand his decision, you idiot.
Stephenson most certainly does understand Cook’s decision and thinks We The People are idiotic enough to buy into his own argument. That’s what reveals Stephenson to be an idiot.
If my stuff is not encrypted then I think clothing should be band too. It’s all or nothing people. Why can’t I keep my private stuff private?
“…I personally think that this is an issue that should be decided by the American people and Congress, not by companies…” Congress is completely bought and paid for by companies, so decisions of congress =/= decisions of the people anymore.
The only votes congress understands have pictures of dead presidents on them. I’m voting with my wallet and supporting the company that has my best interests at heart – and Tim is doing a great job of representing those interests to Congress.
I’m sure Tim Cook wants to sit back and play nice with the government that has a history of persecuting LGBT persons in broad daylight and in the shadows.
Did he not miss the part where Tim Cook very clearly stated that what people expect Apple to encrypt and protect their data, which means encryption by default. There is no other way to protect the data, encryption is the only way and it has NOTHING to do about being right or wrong. God, this guy is an idiot.
AT&T was signed out because it was very clear from Snowden’s docs and other research that ATT was giving the government access to the metadata without any warrants in the first place.
However, he is right on one thing. The Congress needs to pass the laws to mandate encryption and to fine companies that do not protect the data of their users, such as AT&T. Let’s see what he thinks then.
Also, why were laws passed to give AT&T immunity in these lawsuits? Right, AT&T followed the laws properly. GTFO.
It’s no surprise, Randall Stephenson is bashing Apple for protecting it’s users, Stephenson has been giving up his clients to the Feds for years.
And how exactly are the American people supposed to have a say in this decision? Where do we say yes or no? This is the problem with statements like that, Only by elected officials can the American people have a say. So what if you elected official doesn’t share the same opinion as we do on this single issue?
Raise awareness among his/her constituency. Make calls, sign petitions. Make it clear that if they will not support this new popular opinion, then you will get someone else elected who does.
That’s what it takes, that’s what we, the people, don’t do enough of.
Translation: There’s no conspiracy here; at AT&T we will say or do anything the government tells us.””
BTW, what do you call it when governments and corporations become nearly indistinguishable? Hmmm . . .
Congress in general and Republicans in particular stopped representing the people years ago. Lets not forget that all people are innocent until proven guilty and that most people that the NSA has listened to really are innocent.
Backdoors will do more damage to the innocent it will help catching the guilty.
The number of events of misconduct demonstrated by the government grows everyday.
AT&T has been complacent in helping the government. They could have easily brought to our attention what measures the NSA were taking against us without compromising our national security but they did not. It took someone deemed a traitor to attempt to protect our interests.
Them damn republicans…..might want to check that story about California and New York pushing for this….you know those two big republican states and all….oh wait.
Glad I cancelled my AT&T contract. Instead of telling others what to do AT&T can start by treating its customers fairly instead of charging double for basic service.
Room 641A, Randall. You gave the NSA direct access to your network.
There is this quaint little narrative that our Constitution holds dear, (and prior to our current administration, we used to honor the Constitution) – Innocent until proven guilty. You do not need a backdoor. You need to follow the laws, you need a court order, and then you need to subpoena my data, then you need to prove me guilty – IN THAT ORDER. No, you don’t get to randomly get to monitor innocent people’s data, save it and maybe someday, years later, tie it to a current investigation and use that illegally gathered data as evidence – that’s not the way the law works. You do not get to stop me for a traffic infraction and dig through my personal information – I am a citizen of America, I am not PROPERTY of America; there is a huge difference.
Overall I agree with you, except the HUGE, mistake of which administration: Clearly, Dick & Bush are the ones that trampled on your Rights as a Citizen: Winking as they called the PATRIOT ACT: … Of course, code named:
‘W: IDIOTS ACT’
( of course, Dick had to right a simplified book for ‘W’ to understand:
‘An idiots guide to the IDIOT ACT: the PAT-RIOT ACT 4 wealth)
Dick couldn’t use “write” W always though it was a memo to him, and always asked: what does ‘rite’ mean?
“[T]his is an issue that should be decided by the American people and Congress.” And therein lies the crux of the matter. I, one of those American people, do not trust Congress to consistently make the right decision regarding my, or any other American citizen’s, privacy. Thus, if it’s left to Congress, since I doubt we’ll be seeing a referendum on a ballot, do you really think they’ll side with the American people?
Kinda like Net Neutrality Randall?
Decision should be made by people AND congress? I think Mr. Stephenson is so high off all the billions he is racking up from overcharging his customers for cell phone bills and cable television that he hallucinated back into his 3rd grade social studies class. In what reality does congress do what the people want? They are beholden to the big corporations and to greed. The people have already spoken. Most everyone I know and all the comments I have seen on various websites tell me that people value their privacy. So the next time Mr. Stephenson makes a business decision for his company maybe he should have congress decide instead, because you know they know better.
This A$$(–) was the very reason I left ATT. He sure knows how to LIE, Cheat & Steel from ‘His Customers’s. Randall has An Utter disregard for LEAGAL CONTRACTS or
THE US CONSTITUTION if they get in the way of his Wealth & Profits. Wealth without a soul: WEALTHLESS.
Anyone who wants to reduce the power of encryption you have on your personal data is someone who is your enemy. The state has proven it cannot keep its own data secure (the Chinese have a database with -everybody- in it who has applied for top secret clearance. -e-ve-ry-bo-dy-). AT&T might as well be a subsidiary of the NSA.
Tim Cook is absolutely right that you can’t build a system with just a tiny little backdoor. If there is one opening in the armor, that is the opening that is going to be abused by anyone who wants access to your data. It’s a binary state. You’re either secure or you’re not. That’s like saying you’re just a little bit pregnant.
If the national security industry does not trust us and we can’t know anything about them, we cannot trust them either. They are just as much an entity you want to keep your data secure from. The trust relationship only works one way. We have to trust -them-, but they’re not trusting us. I’m not comfortable in that kind of relationship. These are the people who put a 2-year-old on a terrorist watch list and no-fly list. They can’t even be bothered to curate their own databases but they will be cautious with your data, never worry.
The problem is, it isn’t the people’s decision, it is a corrupt power hungry government against the people and Apple is defending the people
I love the two pictures……….. it WAY too funny…..hehehhehehe.
If we left this to the government, they’d have all access all the time. NSA anyone?
The government simply can’t stand for people to have privacy. Their rhetoric about terrorism and criminals is simply something to confuse stupid people into believing the government needs this for your benefit and safety. There’s a reason we have a constitution. Unfortunately, it seems most politicians have never read it.
I’m sorry Randall, it isn’t up to the government but to the people that are being governed to set laws. Personally, I want my phone encrypted. The NSA proves the government are not to be trusted.Without the whole NSA debacle, I might be whistling a different tune. Bush and now Obama has impinged on our rights and encryption attempts to recover those stolen rights.
Randall Stephenson can suck it. I have greater loyalty to Apple than to AT&T. Apple cares about customer satisfaction and privacy, but AT&T obviously does not. Randall Stephenson should be kissing Tim Cook’s ass for all of the customers that Apple brought to him. What an ingrate!
Talk about an embarrassingly bad statement on AT&T’s part.
I’m sure AT&T will sit by passively and not provide input when issues relevant to them such as carrier spectrums licensing and the like are up for discussion by the government.
Safety for my family and me is worth much more than having encrypted data on my phone. Apple needs to compromise.
And how will making your phone insecure make your family safer? People with malicious intentions can still communicate over secure channels (iMessage is hardly their only option) and it exposes your family to them when they use the same back doors provided to the FBI to also access your device.
If it forces evil people to communicate over other channels than a smart phone, then that is worthwhile in my opinion. My PC at the office has been hacked and the world kept spinning.
Aren’t the American people already deciding with their dollars?
It’s not about who makes the decision, it’s about what effects that decision will cause. Opening a back door to encryption means it is open to everyone which means your data will not be safe. That’s what Tim Cook is fighting about. Randall is a clueless dumbass.
AT&T, Champion of Corporate Ethics™
Ahhhh hahahahah that was fun.
Simple. If the government (both state and federal) force Apple into putting a “backdoor” in the software then when it gets hacked and hackers run of with our bank accounts and whatever else then the government should be held responsible to fix our credit and repay us. Because you damn well know that any bill written forcing Apple (and everyone else) to do this will have some buried clause in it giving the banks and telcos complete immunity for any hacks.
ATT wants Congress to force Apple to comply with legislation they lobby and help craft, thus weakening Apple’s leverage at the negotiating table.
The network has lost the power to dictate terms and this is seen as the last shot for the networks to take back power. It’ll fail.
With all the respect I can muster for Mr Randall Stephenson I say F.U.
Stephenson has ALWAYS been an elitist jerk. ALL decisions are NOT made by him. In fact, to a lesser and lesser extent, ATT has less and less influence over ANY decision anyone makes… The man is an ass.
Our States and Government want to control and watch over (us) people.
Government Tech Nerd: I can’t hack into Apple security it’s too encrypted.
Law Maker: What’s crypto. Oh well, I’ll just change to law so Apple lets us play in the sandbox too. Patty get me my crayons.
Since Apple controls the public key database, it can launch a man-in-the-middle attack to read and/or disclose your data.
http://blog.quarkslab.com/imessage-privacy.html
The situation could be improved if a) the devices retained public keys and b) if the public key database were replicated across a number of third parties. However, this would also make key revocation more difficult.
A&T CEO’s comments are no surprise. AT&T is completely in bed with the U.S. government and readily supplies user information to the .gov agencies daily. Just another reason to NEVER use AT&T.
Personally I don’t think there should be any backdoors since it just makes the un-secure. That said if there was to be a way to unlock the data I’d only even consider it under the following conditions.
1) The physical device would have to be delivered to the manufacture of the OS namely Apple, Google and Microsoft. No remote back doors are allowed. The standard connectors could not be used to unlock the device. Physical internal access to the actual chips would be required.
2) The information about how the decryption would be done would not be know to anyone but the OS manufacture.
3) It would take special equipment designed, build and maintained my the OS manufacture and the government would not have any legal rights to that equipment. If the government tried to take it the manufacture would be legally allowed to destroy it.
4) Any request for decryption would require a search warrant and the owner of the phone would have 7 days from the issuance of the warrant and also after the owner has been server with the complete warrant to allow their attorney apply for a stay of the warrant. Nothing could be done to the phone until all legal challenges to the warrant have been exhausted.
5) A detailed list of what is wanted would be given to the manufacture and only that data would be returned to the requester.
6) Law enforcement, the owner and the owners attorney would all go to the manufactures site and be present to witness via a video feed the decryption process although they would not be allow to see how the actual process was done only to see the results.
7) No law enforcement officer would be allowed in the secured lab where the description is being done.
8) All data would be vetted to make sure only what is legally requested is taken out of the lab and copies given to law enforcement, the owner and their attorney.
9) Since the device would be destroyed the owner would be given a new device with all of the original data restored to it. The owner could then set a new password which would again secure the data.
10) Law enforcement would cover the entire costs including transportation, attorneys fees, the manufacture charge to decrypt the device and the replacement cost of the phone.
Yes this put the burden and the cost on law enforcement but that’s where it should be. If this is done it has to be as hard as possiable so devices remain secure.