애플이 FBI에 ˂백도어(Backdoor)˃를 제공하라는 미국법원의 명령을 거절해 화제다.
˂백도어˃는 시스템접근에 대한 사용자인증 등의 정상적인 절차를 거치지 않고 응용프로그램 또는 시스템에 접근할 수 있도록 하는 프로그램을 말한다.
애플CEO인 팀 쿡은 16일(현지시각) 당사홈페이지에 <고객들에게 드리는 글>을 게제하고 <미국정부는 우리 고객들의 보안을 위협하는 전례없는 조치를 취할 것을 요구했다>며 <우리는 이 명령을 거부한다>고 밝혔다.
그는 글에서 <개인정보보안에 대한 타협은 결국 우리 개인의 안전을 위협하게 된다>며 구체적으로 <FBI는 몇몇 중요한 보안장치들을 피할 수 있는 새아이폰 운영체제를 만들 것을 우리에게 요구하고 있다>고 밝히고 <정부는 이 도구(백도어)가 제한적인 용도로 사용될 것이라고 말하겠지만, 그런식의 통제가 이뤄질거란 장담은 어디에도 없다>고 지적했다.
이어 <정부가 <모든 영장법>을 아이폰의 잠금을 더 쉽게 해제하는 데 활용한다면, 그건 모든 사람들의 기기에 담긴 개인정보에 접근할 권력을 갖게 되는 것과 같다>면서 <당신의 메시지나 건강정보, 개인금융정보, 위치추적정보를 가로채고, 심지어 당신도 모르게 당신의 아이폰마이크와 카메라에 접근할 수 있는 감시소프트웨어를 요구하는 데까지 나아갈 수 있는 것>이라고 경고했다.
그러면서 <우리는 미국 민주주의에 대한 깊은 존경과 애국심을 바탕으로 FBI의 요청에 맞서겠다>며 <FBI의 선의를 믿지만, 정부가 우리 제품에 대한 백도어를 만들 것을 우리에게 강요해서는 안 될 것>이라고 일갈했다.
한편, 1789년 제정된 <모든 영장법(All Writs Act)>은 지난해 12월 캘리포니아주 샌버너디노에서 발생한 무슬림부부 총기난사사건 수사를 위해 FBI가 애플로부터 아이폰잠금해제 기술지원을 받기 위해 법원요청에 근거가 된 법안이다.
당시 캘리포니아법원행정판사 셰리 핌은 FB 요청을 받아들여 애플측에 적절한 기술지원을 해줄 것을 명령했다.
다음은 해당글의 영어전문이다.
February 16, 2016 A Message to Our Customers The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand. This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake. The Need for Encryption Smartphones, led by iPhone, have become an essential part of our lives. People use them to store an incredible amount of personal information, from our private conversations to our photos, our music, our notes, our calendars and contacts, our financial information and health data, even where we have been and where we are going. All that information needs to be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it, and use it without our knowledge or permission. Customers expect Apple and other technology companies to do everything in our power to protect their personal information, and at Apple we are deeply committed to safeguarding their data. Compromising the security of our personal information can ultimately put our personal safety at risk. That is why encryption has become so important to all of us. For many years, we have used encryption to protect our customers’ personal data because we believe it’s the only way to keep their information safe. We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business. The San Bernardino Case We were shocked and outraged by the deadly act of terrorism in San Bernardino last December. We mourn the loss of life and want justice for all those whose lives were affected. The FBI asked us for help in the days following the attack, and we have worked hard to support the government’s efforts to solve this horrible crime. We have no sympathy for terrorists. When the FBI has requested data that’s in our possession, we have provided it. Apple complies with valid subpoenas and search warrants, as we have in the San Bernardino case. We have also made Apple engineers available to advise the FBI, and we’ve offered our best ideas on a number of investigative options at their disposal. We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone. Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession. The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control. The Threat to Data Security Some would argue that building a backdoor for just one iPhone is a simple, clean-cut solution. But it ignores both the basics of digital security and the significance of what the government is demanding in this case. In today’s digital world, the “key” to an encrypted system is a piece of information that unlocks the data, and it is only as secure as the protections around it. Once the information is known, or a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge. The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone. But that’s simply not true. Once created, the technique could be used over and over again, on any number of devices. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks — from restaurants and banks to stores and homes. No reasonable person would find that acceptable. The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals. The same engineers who built strong encryption into the iPhone to protect our users would, ironically, be ordered to weaken those protections and make our users less safe. We can find no precedent for an American company being forced to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack. For years, cryptologists and national security experts have been warning against weakening encryption. Doing so would hurt only the well-meaning and law-abiding citizens who rely on companies like Apple to protect their data. Criminals and bad actors will still encrypt, using tools that are readily available to them. A Dangerous Precedent Rather than asking for legislative action through Congress, the FBI is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority. The government would have us remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by “brute force,” trying thousands or millions of combinations with the speed of a modern computer. The implications of the government’s demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone or camera without your knowledge. Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government. We are challenging the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications. While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect. Tim Cook |
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