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from the it-was-an-error,-not-exageration,-honest! dept.
Submitted via IRC for Runaway1956
For the past several months, the FBI has been claiming that encryption has prevented the agency from accessing around 7,000 mobile devices connected to various crimes.
On Tuesday, the FBI told PCMag that a programming error resulted in a "significant overcounting" of the encrypted devices. "The FBI is currently conducting an in-depth review of how this over-counting previously occurred," the agency said in a statement.
The news was first reported by The Washington Post, which said the correct number is probably between 1,000 and 2,000 devices. One internal estimate from the FBI puts the figure at 1,200, but the agency plans to launch an audit to get the full number, The Post said, citing unnamed sources.
The mistake seriously undercuts one of the FBI's central arguments in the ongoing encryption debate. For years now, the agency has been pushing for what critics call a "backdoor" into smartphone products that'll let federal agents easily unlock mobile devices tied to crimes. Without such access, some investigations may grind to halt, the agency claims.
[...] How did the FBI make the mistake? According to the agency, starting in April 2016, it began using a new "collection methodology" with how it counted the encrypted devices. But only recently did the FBI become aware of flaws in the methodology, it said, without elaborating.
Source: https://www.pcmag.com/news/361357/oops-fbi-inflated-the-number-of-encrypted-devices-it-cant
Also at CNET and TechCrunch
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Thursday May 24 2018, @05:32AM
Here's the original, which is good:
Don't Talk to the Police [youtube.com]
HOWEVER, here's the updated version:
"You Have the Right to Remain Innocent" (James Duane) [youtube.com]
(Paraphrasing heavily) Some of the updated advice is that traffic stops are different (14:55), although you don't need to say more than necessary, and when questioned by the police you need to insist that "I want a lawyer", clearly and unequivocally (36:50), because it has become harder for you to exercise your Fifth Amendment rights (17:38, 24:32, 36:02). He explains that his famous viral video didn't discuss the details of how you want to assert/exercise your Fifth Amendment rights (23:28). He mentions shifting judicial attitudes towards the Fifth Amendment, including Salinas v. Texas (37:30). None of the 8-9 Supreme Court Justices (video was filmed in 2016 after Scalia's death) have done significant work as a defense attorney. Halfway into the video, Randy Barnett starts talking about the book and condenses the new advice: The ultimate message here is that rather than asserting your Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, you want to adamantly assert your Sixth Amendment right to counsel, which will in many cases cause cops to immediately lose interest in talking to you any further (47:53).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Duane_(professor) [wikipedia.org]
You Have the Right to Remain Innocent
ISBN: 978-1503933392
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]