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Christopher Soghoian: Your smartphone is a civil rights issue
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The smartphone you use reflects more than just personal taste ... it could determine how closely you can be tracked, too. Privacy expert and TED Fellow Christopher Soghoian details a glaring difference between the encryption used on Apple and Android devices and urges us to pay attention to a growing digital security divide. "If the only people who can protect themselves from the gaze of the government are the rich and powerful, that's a problem," he says. "It's not just a cybersecurity problem -- it's a civil rights problem."
Christopher Soghoian - Privacy researcher and activist
Christopher Soghoian researches and exposes the high-tech surveillance tools that governments use to spy on their own citizens, and he is a champion of digital privacy rights. Full bio
Christopher Soghoian researches and exposes the high-tech surveillance tools that governments use to spy on their own citizens, and he is a champion of digital privacy rights. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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In the spring of 2016,
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a legal battle between Apple
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
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captured the world's attention.
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Apple has built security features
into its mobile products
into its mobile products
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which protect data on its devices
from everyone but the owner.
from everyone but the owner.
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That means that criminals, hackers
and yes, even governments
and yes, even governments
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are all locked out.
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For Apple's customers,
this is a great thing.
this is a great thing.
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But governments are not so happy.
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You see, Apple has made
a conscious decision
a conscious decision
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to get out of the surveillance business.
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Apple has tried to make surveillance
as difficult as possible
as difficult as possible
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for governments and any other actors.
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There are really two
smartphone operating systems
smartphone operating systems
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in the global smartphone market:
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iOS and Android.
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iOS is made by Apple.
Android is made by Google.
Android is made by Google.
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Apple has spent a lot of time and money
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to make sure that its products
are as secure as possible.
are as secure as possible.
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Apple encrypts all data
stored on iPhones by default,
stored on iPhones by default,
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and text messages sent from one
Apple customer to another Apple customer
Apple customer to another Apple customer
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are encrypted by default
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without the user having
to take any actions.
to take any actions.
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What this means is that,
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if the police seize an iPhone
and it has a password,
and it has a password,
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they'll have a difficult time
getting any data off of it,
getting any data off of it,
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if they can do it at all.
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In contrast, the security of Android
just really isn't as good.
just really isn't as good.
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Android phones, or at least
most of the Android phones
most of the Android phones
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that have been sold to consumers,
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do not encrypt data stored
on the device by default,
on the device by default,
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and the built-in text messaging app
in Android does not use encryption.
in Android does not use encryption.
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So if the police seize an Android phone,
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chances are, they'll be able to get
all the data they want
all the data they want
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off of that device.
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Two smartphones
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from two of the biggest
companies in the world;
companies in the world;
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one that protects data by default,
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and one that doesn't.
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Apple is a seller of luxury goods.
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It dominates the high end of the market.
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And we would expect a manufacturer
of luxury goods to have products
of luxury goods to have products
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that include more features.
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But not everyone can afford an iPhone.
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That's where Android
really, really dominates:
really, really dominates:
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at the middle and low end of the market,
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smartphones for the billion
and a half people
and a half people
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who cannot or will not spend
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600 dollars on a phone.
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But the dominance of Android
has led to what I call
has led to what I call
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the "digital security divide."
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That is, there is now increasingly a gap
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between the privacy
and security of the rich,
and security of the rich,
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who can afford devices
that secure their data by default,
that secure their data by default,
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and of the poor,
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whose devices do very little
to protect them by default.
to protect them by default.
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So, think of the average Apple customer:
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a banker, a lawyer,
a doctor, a politician.
a doctor, a politician.
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These individuals now increasingly have
smartphones in their pockets
smartphones in their pockets
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that encrypt their calls,
their text messages,
their text messages,
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all the data on the device,
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without them doing really anything
to secure their information.
to secure their information.
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In contrast, the poor
and the most vulnerable in our societies
and the most vulnerable in our societies
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are using devices that leave them
completely vulnerable to surveillance.
completely vulnerable to surveillance.
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In the United States, where I live,
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African-Americans are more likely
to be seen as suspicious
to be seen as suspicious
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or more likely to be profiled,
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and are more likely to be targeted
by the state with surveillance.
by the state with surveillance.
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But African-Americans
are also disproportionately likely
are also disproportionately likely
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to use Android devices
that do nothing at all
that do nothing at all
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to protect them from that surveillance.
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This is a problem.
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We must remember
that surveillance is a tool.
that surveillance is a tool.
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It's a tool used by those in power
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against those who have no power.
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And while I think it's absolutely great
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that companies like Apple
are making it easy for people to encrypt,
are making it easy for people to encrypt,
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if the only people
who can protect themselves
who can protect themselves
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from the gaze of the government
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are the rich and powerful,
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that's a problem.
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And it's not just a privacy
or a cybersecurity problem.
or a cybersecurity problem.
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It's a civil rights problem.
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So the lack of default security in Android
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is not just a problem
for the poor and vulnerable users
for the poor and vulnerable users
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who are depending on these devices.
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This is actually a problem
for our democracy.
for our democracy.
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I'll explain what I mean.
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Modern social movements
rely on technology --
rely on technology --
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from Black Lives Matter to the Arab Spring
to Occupy Wall Street.
to Occupy Wall Street.
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The organizers of these movements
and the members of these movements
and the members of these movements
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increasingly communicate
and coordinate with smartphones.
and coordinate with smartphones.
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And so, naturally governments
that feel threatened by these movements
that feel threatened by these movements
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will also target the organizers
and their smartphones.
and their smartphones.
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Now, it's quite possible
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that a future Martin Luther King
or a Mandela or a Gandhi
or a Mandela or a Gandhi
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will have an iPhone and be protected
from government surveillance.
from government surveillance.
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But chances are,
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they'll probably have a cheap,
$20 Android phone in their pocket.
$20 Android phone in their pocket.
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And so if we do nothing
to address the digital security divide,
to address the digital security divide,
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if we do nothing to ensure
that everyone in our society
that everyone in our society
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gets the same benefits of encryption
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and is equally able to protect themselves
from surveillance by the state,
from surveillance by the state,
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not only will the poor and vulnerable
be exposed to surveillance,
be exposed to surveillance,
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but future civil rights
movements may be crushed
movements may be crushed
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before they ever reach
their full potential.
their full potential.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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Helen Walters: Chris, thank you so much.
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I have a question for you.
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We saw recently in the press
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that Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook
covers over his camera
covers over his camera
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and does something
with his headphone mic jack.
with his headphone mic jack.
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So I wanted to ask you
a personal question, which is:
a personal question, which is:
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Do you do that?
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And, on behalf of everyone
here, particularly myself,
here, particularly myself,
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Should we be doing that?
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Should we be covering these things?
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Christopher Soghoian: Putting a sticker --
actually, I like Band-Aids,
actually, I like Band-Aids,
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because you can remove them
and put them back on
and put them back on
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whenever you want to make
a call or a Skype call.
a call or a Skype call.
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Putting a sticker over your web cam
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is probably the best thing
you can do for your privacy
you can do for your privacy
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in terms of bang for buck.
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There really is malware,
malicious software out there
malicious software out there
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that can take over your web cam,
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even without the light turning on.
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This is used by criminals.
This is used by stalkers.
This is used by stalkers.
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You can buy $19.99 "spy
on your ex-girlfriend" software online.
on your ex-girlfriend" software online.
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It's really terrifying.
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And then, of course,
it's used by governments.
it's used by governments.
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And there's obviously
a sexual violence component to this,
a sexual violence component to this,
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which is that this kind of surveillance
can be used most effectively
can be used most effectively
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against women and other people
who can be shamed in our society.
who can be shamed in our society.
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Even if you think
you have nothing to hide,
you have nothing to hide,
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at the very least, if you have
children, teenagers in your lives,
children, teenagers in your lives,
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make sure you put a sticker
on their camera and protect them.
on their camera and protect them.
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HW: Wow. Thank you so much.
CS: Thank you.
CS: Thank you.
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HW: Thanks, Chris.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Christopher Soghoian - Privacy researcher and activistChristopher Soghoian researches and exposes the high-tech surveillance tools that governments use to spy on their own citizens, and he is a champion of digital privacy rights.
Why you should listen
TED Fellow Christopher Soghoian is a champion of digital privacy rights, with a focus on the role that third-party service providers play in enabling governments to monitor citizens. As the principal technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union, he explores the intersection of federal surveillance and citizen's rights.
Before joining the ACLU, he was the first-ever technologist for the Federal Trade Commision's Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, where he worked on investigations of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Netflix. Soghoian is also the creator of Do Not Track, an anti-tracking device that all major web browsers now use, and his work has been cited in court.
Christopher Soghoian | Speaker | TED.com