Apple does not exist in a vacuum, they are subject to national or federal law like any other, and every time they make you believe the opposite it's a publicity stunt the nuances of which clearly escape you
I think you are confusing several different aspects of security and privacy here, like iCloud data backups and encrypted local iPhone storage. Apple does have access to iCloud data, but they do not and cannot have access to locally encrypted stuff which is locked behind your personal PIN code. Apple does share iCloud data with law enforcement.
Knowing this allows users to improve their protection and privacy at the cost of convenience. For instance, one can avoid using iCloud altogether, or choose to encrypt iCloud backups.
There is history of secret agencies infiltrating the supply chain to implant malware on a whole batch of devices in hope of catching a single person, with the silent endorsement of Apple of course. Their security is just like everyone else
Do you have a source for this? I remember the Snowden leaks showed this occurs with individual target devices via the NSA's "Tailored Access Operations" unit,[1] but I haven't seen anything suggesting it's been done to batches of devices that include non-targets.
You don't waste supply chain level attacks on regular joes.
Apple devices get so much attention that the risk of tainting huge batches of devices at the supply chain level and having one of those end up in the hands of a security researcher is too big.
All of the security professionals I know use iPhones just because it's really fucking hard to get anything out of them without resorting to rubber-hose crypto, which is illegal in most of the world.
The last iOS zero-day was burned on no other than Jeff Bezos.
Joe Schmoe is perfectly safe, the local PD won't have access to tooling like that.
Apple's handling on HN is a sore point for me with this otherwise pretty factual forum.
The amount of shills, purely positive news, accepting all their PR without questions, ignoring all that happened in the past... not all members, but some very highly voted opinions makes me think this place simply can't be objective on this topic.
Probably hundreds of Apple employees come here quietly and stay quiet on relevant topics, but folks either paid or simply fanatical about this specific brand make any serious discussion impossible.
I dont blame the company, its for profit mega corporation just like the rest doing same things as everybody else on the market (ie not paying taxes where it should to support local development, happy with chinese child labor in contractors etc), but some people refuse to see that. Its not unique to electronics, but one would expect a bit more rational and balanced discussion on them.
No, we know that from the words of independent security experts.