Apple Will Begin Notifying Users of Information Requests from Law Enforcement

applelogo.pngApple will begin notifying its users of secret personal data requests from law enforcement, according to The Washington Post, as the company believes users have a right to know in advance if their information is being targeted by the government.

Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google all are updating their policies to expand routine notification of users about government data seizures, unless specifically gagged by a judge or other legal authority, officials at all four companies said. Yahoo announced similar changes in July.

Prosecutors, however, say the move could tip off criminals, allowing them to destroy potential digital evidence, cover their tracks and intimidate potential witnesses before law enforcement can build their case. Alternatively, the Post notes that some companies who already notify users before a government requests have found that investigators have dropped data requests to avoid having suspects learn of their inquiries.

In the United States, the typical search warrant requires the police to notify the suspect that they are being searched. However, so-called "sneak-and-peek" warrants are not unheard of and allow investigators to search a suspect's house or other property without any notification. This ability was expanded in the PATRIOT Act, allowing the Federal Government to utilize such warrants in nearly any crime.

Apple and the other companies are seeking to nullify these sneak-and-peek warrants as they pertain to the digital realm.

Apple's changes will be unveiled in an updated privacy policy later this month, an Apple spokeswoman told the Post, and users will be notified in "most cases" when their information is requested by a government entity. Cases in which Apple would not notify users include data requests from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and subpoenas from the FBI for national security investigations.

“Later this month, Apple will update its policies so that in most cases when law enforcement requests personal information about a customer, the customer will receive a notification from Apple,” company spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said.

The Cupertino company has been increasingly concerned about privacy matters since the discovery of secret intelligence program PRISM, with CEO Tim Cook saying the NSA would have to cart them "out in a box" before it could access Apple's servers. Apple has also hired certified privacy professional Sabrina Ross as privacy counsel to oversee the protection of customer data.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Top Rated Comments

rmatthewware Avatar
129 months ago
If the government needs the data so bad, maybe they should get a warrant and physically confiscate the device?

or just install internet explorer on the phone...
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Z400Racer37 Avatar
129 months ago
In this case how long the notification will come before the data is turned over. I would imagine the government wants it to be as short as they can get it so you can't tamper anything.

My data. My property. Don't care what they want.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mattsasa Avatar
129 months ago
Thank God
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
129 months ago
this is terrible, way to let criminal enterprises and drug dealers get away with it.

if you have nothing to hide why do you care? this only helps criminals and terrorists. i am very disappointed in Apple.

"If you have nothing to hide..." is the typical bully boy response to this. You make it seem as if anyone caring about privacy is doing nasty things that need to be hidden away. The clear intent is to paint anyone who cares about privacy as morally and ethically inferior.

There's a good chance that Apple will get requests for example if you committed the serious crime of dating the daughter of a policeman. Or the even more serious crime of being the neighbour of a policeman who is curious about you. Or the even more serious crime of watching a violent policeman beating up someone in the street, and now they need to find some dirt on you to protect that policeman. There's a good chance that the information if it is saucy enough and you are just slightly famous will go straight to the next newspaper, or even has been paid for in advance by a newspaper.

This doesn't "only help criminals and terrorists". It has the most beneficial effect of protecting innocent people from a police state. Because I do lots of things that are none of any ****ing policeman's ****ing business, and I applaud Apple for protecting my freedom and my rights to do these things. And the right to say this without the fear that the number of speeding tickets that I receive will grow exponentially because I used the words "****ing policeman".

----------

If I have nothing to hide, you have no business with me.

If you have nothing to hide, you lead a very boring life. :D

----------

In people's paranoia about the gub'mint listening in on their Mother's Day wishes to dear ol' Mom, they are forgetting that there are often times when the data taps are absolutely justified - i.e., child porn traffickers are often caught this way. I hope Apple takes great care in exactly who they are alerting and don't inadvertently let criminals escape justice.

Here's what you don't get: All these laws are about protecting the rights of innocent citizens. The way to protect the rights of innocent citizens is to take away the incentives for the police to spy on people in a way that would be unacceptable if these people are innocent. That's why for example the results of illegal searches can't be used even if they prove someone is a criminal, because making these results invalid protects innocent people from illegal searches.

Since Apple is not the police, and has no idea what you are doing, asking Apple to take great care who they are alerting is ridiculous. They don't know, and they have no reason to care. Apple doesn't classify people into "innocent", "guilty", "possibly guilty". They classify people into "has an iTunes account" and "has no iTunes account", and that is all that Apple knows and needs to know.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
129 months ago
Kudos to Tim Cook and the Apple team!

Now if Apple could just set-up its own:
1. DNS address system
2. TOR anonymization relay system.

We could be relatively sure not to be snooped on by google or the NSA.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bloomedis Avatar
129 months ago
Finally, some Fourth Amendment realization here.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...