this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2023
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237
Beeper vs Apple battle intensifies: Lawmakers demand DOJ investigation - Android Authority (www.androidauthority.com)
submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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US senators have urged the DOJ to probe Apple's alleged anti-competitive conduct against Beeper.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

These are separate issues and it’s a very complex set of issues. Reverse engineering is generally “okay” as long as you aren’t directly copying code, because you’ll run afoul of copyright laws. That doesn’t grant them the rights to access anyone else’s computer systems without authorization.

Tools that can be used maliciously are generally allowed because they have legitimate uses, using them to gain access or otherwise harm a computer system or network without authorization is criminal. You keep mentioning “suing” but this is not a civil issue, violating the CFAA is a crime.

Aaron Swartz got supremely fucked for writing a script that downloaded files he legally could access but technically was unauthorized because he accessed them in a way the corporation didn’t like.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I don't think you see the difference, Aaron was downloading the data off of MIT servers himself, he was not facing charges for writing the scripts.

From your link:

The Justice Department's press release announcing Aaron's indictment suggests the true motivation for pursuing the case was that Aaron downloaded academic literature from JSTOR and planned to make it available to the public for free as a political statement about access to knowledge.

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Tools that can be used maliciously are generally allowed because they have legitimate uses, using them to gain access or otherwise harm a computer system or network without authorization is criminal.

As I said before, Beeper users are gaining unauthorized access, not Beeper. It is E2EE, they're not the middleman.