One of the reasons I use iPhones is that Apple controls an integrated hardware/software experience, which makes it less likely that private information is being leaked despite the presence of privacy controls.

▲

iJohnDoe 13 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I wouldn’t be so confident. The article even references this. Apple has used third-party baseband devices in the iPhone since the beginning, which was from other manufacturers. All bets are off regarding security when this is the case. This does included microphone access.

The article touches on this by saying Apple is making the baseband/modem hardware now. Something they should have done since day one, and I’m not sure what took them so long. However, it was was clear they didn’t have the expertise in this area and it was easier to just uses someone else’s.

▲

wisplike 13 hours ago | parent [-]

Patents is why it took them so long.

	▲	wolvoleo 7 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Yeah but also RF in the real world is hard. Apple found out the hard way with the iPhone 4. Their secrecy didn't help. People doing real world testing had a case that made it look like an iPhone 3s and that also happened to mitigate the death grip problem. We know this because one was stolen and given to gizmodo. And that was even only antenna design, they still used a standard RF stack then.

▲

bigyabai 13 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I empathize with the sentiment, but in reality Apple is as lazy as anyone else: https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/07/29/134008/apple-con...

▲

bilbo0s 13 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Apple is not as lazy as anyone else, don't believe the hype.

That assertion is a bit overblown. And people can easily find out it's overblown with a bit of research.

But at the same time, my whole philosophy is never let it touch any network connected device at all if it is critical. I don't care if it's an Apple device.

Here's reality, mobile carriers have been able to get your location from nearly the inception of mass market mobile phone use. I'm not sure anyone really believed their location was somehow secret and not discoverable. If you're using the phone or internet networks, you're not anonymous. Full stop.

Forget whatever anyone told you about your VPN, or whatever other anonymization/privacy machine that Mr McBean is selling Sneetches these days. Assume everyone is tracked, and some are even watched. Therefore everything you do or say with your devices should be considered content that is posted publicly with an uncertain release date.

	▲	leptons 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		>Apple is not as lazy as anyone else, don't believe the hype. "You're holding it wrong" might be the laziest thing anyone has ever said about a tech product.
	▲	bigyabai 7 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		> And people can easily find out it's overblown with a bit of research. Where? Apple's whitepapers aren't audited by anyone other than themselves. > Assume everyone is tracked, and some are even watched. Fatalist non-sequitur.

▲

llm_nerd 13 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

There is a pretty large chasm between "When you explicit (or accidentally) use the siri functionality, it can record the interaction for quality purposes and per the agreement you made share that will Apple or its agents" and "random third parties can engage hardware functionality without your knowledge and spy on you".

I am entirely, 100% certain that my telco can't just enable the microphone on my iPhone and record me, short of some 0-day exploit. I simply cannot make that bet on many other devices.