Re: This is worse than backdoors into encryption
This is something different. Access to the whole device and, therefore, the plaintext it sends/receives via any encryption product as well as contacts, call logs, calendar, porno apps, etc. Essentially it's a rootkit.
That is true, but equally as such it taints any evidence. Will be interesting to see how evidence gathered this way is challenged in court, and if the courts will side with any prosecution call to have the collection methods withheld from the defence team.
The way this reads, they're expecting to find a welcome mat on my phone. On your phone. On everybody's phone.
You mean they expect the current level of "push this shit software out now" development skill to continue?
If they can't already put it on any phone they want to then expect legislation to mandate manufacturers to pre-install it.
That comes down to how much, for example, a non-USA government can influence Apple or Google for phones, or Apple/MS for desktops. With fully open source systems they can't put it in without it being available to world+dog, and their methods disclosed, so its really not going to work. Sure they can try to outlaw free software and try to impose such things on imports, but only the likes of China can succeed as the population are used to such behaviour and the market big enough (and most hardware built there) to allow others to do the dirty work. The rest of the would is going to have a bigger fight as it comes down to either the USA going against its constitution and forcing multi-billion dollar companies to commit commercial suicide first, or other countries trying to get it imposed on imports with the inevitable kick-back.
Where as exploiting crap software is a tried and trusted method that we have seen used by criminals and spies for decades, so what is going to make suppliers try harder now?