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The Malta Independent | Thursday 7 April 2016
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The Malta Independent | Thursday 7 April 2016
The Malta Independent ICT Feature
Privacy or Terror
The case of Apple vs the FBI
Matthew Cassar
A
pple is a company which most people have strong feelings about, either for or against, however they have recently been caught in the
middle of a controversy in the media. The reason being that a locked iPhone was recovered from a terrorist affiliated with ISIS, Syed Rizwan Farook, who died during the San Bernardino shootings in the USA. The controversy came when the FBI requested that Apple create a system which would allow the US government to unlock any iPhone and recover its data in a case of national security. Apple, who have spent years promoting the security of their phones, refused claiming that creating such a system which could decrypt the personal data of any of their most recent phones
would jeopardize the privacy of all their users. Apple has always pushed for the security and privacy of their users data. In fact, in all Apple devices with an A7 processor (2014) or later, entering an incorrect passcode a number of times will lock the user from trying again and eventually disable the phone, which would lead to all the data on it being lost. This feature is built directly into the processor’s “secure enclave” which is not modifiable by the users and therefore can’t be turned off. As a result the FBI could not attempt to crack the passcode with brute force since this may have resulted in the loss of all the potentially useful data on the device. Last week the FBI managed to retrieve the iPhone’s data without the help of Apple. Although the method in which this was done will not be disclosed to the public, the bureau has also released a statement to multiple law enforcement agencies stating that they would provide technical assistance for cracking
MITA Communications and PR Team
iPhones if this was required. In reality there exist products which are readily available online for about €250, and easily found through a web search, which can crack an iPhone passcode without locking the phone however it was claimed that using this device to gain access to a phone was infact illegal and therefore any evidence obtained from such a search would be inadmissible.
Online Maltese Dictionary Launched by Malta Communications Authority
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nlike a number of other websites which operate as online dictionaries for the Maltese language, this newly launched online dictionary is recognised by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA), the University of Malta and its Institute of Linguistics, the Vodafone Foundation, through the Mobile for Good Programme, the National Council for the Maltese Language, and a number of linguists and independent researchers that all contributed to its development. Since its launch just over a week ago, the feedback has been positive and extremely encouraging, with around 120 as feedback, queries and suggestions already sent by the public and many of which have already been
addressed. The dictionary is available at www.maltesedictionary.org.mt and also a freely downloadable app is available for Android devices. This dictionary contributes to the sustainability of the Maltese national identity, culture and language. Being digital means such a resource is accessible to individuals beyond our shores, reaching out tocommunities of Maltese speaking individuals living abroad and those who have interest in the Maltese language. At present, the dictionary allows users to search for Maltese words. The result provides their equivalent definitions in English, as well as grammatical information such as a word’s part of speech and its root. If one does not know the exact Maltese word, but know the English
equivalent, it allows you to search in English, through the ‘advanced search’ mechanism. The dictionary will return all the words which match your search. It also provides other features, such as the various forms for different genders, the plural or, in the case of verbs, the perfective and imperfective. This dictionary is a constant work-in-progress. The intention is to keep on updating this resource based on user feedback in line with current trends and user views. The fact that it is online makes it far easier and more cost effective to keep it updated. The interactive nature of the tool allows users to suggest modifications and/or the inclusion of other entries. The public is therefore strongly encouraged to make use of in-built feedback facilities to suggest new additions or other updates.
When it comes down to it though, people are still divided on the issue. Today most people’s sensitive data is stored digitally, including their bank and credit card details, and all social media and email accounts. Some companies such as WhatsApp are taking their clients privacy as their highest priority with a recent anointment that all communication through their platform will be encrypted
A in such a way that nobody apart from the sender and the receivers will be able to decipher messages. The sensitivity of the data and possible consequences for granting access to it begs the
question: Is privacy king, no matter who you are, or is it more important to have security even if that means our data will be more vulnerable? Does the fact that the data was recovered even without Apple’s help say
anything about the security standards in technology today, considering that one of the iPhone’s selling points is its alleged impenetrable defence and state of the art encryption system?
pple is a company which most people have strong feelings about, either for or against, however they have recently been caught in the middle of a controversy in the media. The reason being that a locked iPhone was recovered from a terrorist affiliated with ISIS, Syed Rizwan Farook, who died during the San Bernardino shootings in the USA. The Online Maltese Dictionary is recognised by the Malta Com-
munications Authority, the University of Malta and its Institute of Linguistics, the Vodafone Foundation, through the Mobile for Good Programme, the National Council for the Maltese Language, and a number of linguists and independent researchers that all contributed to its development. All ICT Features are available on www.mita.gov.mt/ictfeature