France could fine Apple €1m unless it hacks smartphones

The Local France:

On Monday, French Socialist MP Yann Galut proposed an amendment to French law that – if passed – would see the US companies punished if they didn’t give French officials backdoor access to terrorists’ phones.

In France last year, there were eight phones that were inaccessible to police – all tied in some way to terror attacks, reports Le Parisien.

Totally understandable. The battle to find a balance between security and privacy will play out in a lot of places over the coming months, even years. One key argument which came up in yesterday’s hearing was the question, if Apple adds a back door, will that stop the bad guys from using encryption. And the answer, of course, is no.

This cat is already out of the bag. If you force a back door into all iPhones, the bad actors will use one of the other 600 forms of online encryption to communicate.

[H/T The logistically intransigent Not Jony Ive]