[photon]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Well, first, it's obvious that Apple can make this tool if it wants to. It's their product. So whether or not they're trustworthy seems immaterial to me.

We're not talking about Apple just creating the tool, we're talking about Apple being forced to create the tool and then what happens after (i.e not committing the significant development effort is one thing while not using it after it's been created is another). You raised the scenario though where Apple was the one responsible for holding the tool so their trustworthiness would seem to be relevant; I doubt the FBI would go for that scenario where the tool was held in someone else's hands that they don't control.

To me I if my data is sensitive enough I'm not going to trust any 3rd party, company or government.

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

But aside from that, you're now moving the goal posts: is your concern that the government can't be trusted, or that if Apple develops this someone's going to get ahold of the records that show how they did it and reproduce their work?

As mentioned there's multiple concerns which are interdependent. We know that the government can't be trusted, and we know that governments and companies regularly experience leaks, there's zero way to guarantee this custom firmware wouldn't get out into the wild other than to not create it.

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

I would suggest that a company that can make an impenetrable phone can at least keep its own information secure, if they really want to.

False equivalence, the two are wildly different.

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

So I take it my solution addressed that problem; that we don't trust the government with this tool. Right?

Not really, let's say that was the decided on solution, but when someone manages to get their hands on the tool and leak it to the web, the FBI will be one of the first in line to download it and try to make it work for them, but they'll only be one of a large number.