Apple Hits Encryption Key With DMCA Notice, Panic Shuts Down the Jailbreak Sub-Reddit

[Matrix]

 

A sub-Reddit dedicated to jailbreaking iOS devices put itself into lockdown yesterday after several DMCA notices were filed against the discussion forum. Various sources reported that the notices were filed by Apple, in an attempt to hinder distribution of jailbreaking-related tools and information. While that remains unconfirmed, Apple did use the DMCA to take down a related tweet containing an encryption key.

 

To most users of mobile computing devices such as phones and tablets, they exist to be used however the consumer sees fit. However, the majority are restricted to prevent the adventurous from doing whatever they like with their own hardware.

 

To bypass these restrictions, users can utilize a so-called jailbreak tool. These unlock the digital handcuffs deployed on a device and grant additional freedoms that aren’t available as standard. As such, they are popular with modders who enjoy customizing their hardware with new features that otherwise wouldn’t exist.

 

Since it is viewed as one of the most restrictive manufacturers, Apple hardware and software face almost continual ‘attacks’ from people wanting to jailbreak its devices. There are many communities online dedicated to this scene, including Reddit’s 462,000-member /r/jailbreak forum.

 

Yesterday, however, chaos reigned after Reddit’s legal team received multiple DMCA notices against a number of threads detailing a pair of prominent jailbreak tools – Checkra1n and UNc0ver.

 

“Reddit Legal have removed 5 posts (all release posts) for checkra1n and unc0ver. We don’t know what exactly was the copyright about. Admins never told us, we just saw their actions in our mod log,” a moderator explained.

 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many linked the issues facing /r/jailbreak to an earlier drama on Twitter when an iOS hacker called S1guza published an Apple decryption key that led to his tweet being taken down following a DMCA notice. It took a few hours but the tweet was ultimately reinstated last evening. No specific reasons were given for taking it down, and none were provided for putting it back up.

 

The Twitter takedown was sent by Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, a company that has acted on Apple’s behalf in the past. The notice itself, published on the Lumen Database thanks to Twitter, also provides no useful details as to why the tweet was targeted.

 

 

Since Apple was behind the takedown on Twitter and the most obvious culprit in respect of the DMCA takedowns on Reddit, many fingers were pointed towards the Cupertino-based company. However, despite the best efforts of the moderators on /r/jailbreak, Reddit’s admins would not provide the necessary information to identify who filed the DMCA notices or on what grounds.

 

With uncertainty apparently the order of the day, moderators of the discussion forum took the drastic decision to put their platform into lockdown.

 

“Locking down the subreddit to prevent new threads is one of the ‘standard’ responses moderators take to show the admins that the mod team isn’t playing, and that they are serious and ready to remedy the issue,” a post from the mods reads.

 

“Too many DMCA notices eventually end up with a warn and a ban (or just a ban) from the admins to whatever subreddit these notices are being sent to.”

 

While the DMCA notices in themselves are clearly the biggest issue here, unlike Twitter and Google, for example, Reddit does not routinely share DMCA notices it receives with an external database such as Lumen. If it did, the additional transparency would perhaps help to shine some light on the topic and prevent heavy self-imposed actions, such as the voluntary lockdown of the jailbreak sub.

 

Moderators report that Reddit’s admins were initially unresponsive to requests for information and that a database that tracks DMCA notices sent to Reddit didn’t provide any helpful details on the sender of the notices.

 

Last evening, however, one of the affected jailbreak developers ‘qwertyoruiopz’
announced on Twitter that things were some way to being resolved on Reddit and the sub had been taken out of ‘lockdown mode‘.

 

Soon after, a welcome response from Reddit’s admins was published, effectively signaling the all-clear.

 

 

While the message was well-received, /r/jailbreak shouldn’t have been obliged to take such serious action to preserve its existence. The jailbreaking of iOS devices is considered legal in the US and the DMCA notices filed against Reddit clearly caught everyone by surprise.

 

It remains unknown whether they were indeed sent by Apple so the possibility remains that they were sent by some kind of imposter, trying to unsettle the community. Nevertheless, it is good news that all complaints have been lifted due to the claims being invalid, as per Reddit’s admins.

 

Without transparency from Reddit, however, the true nature of what happened is likely to remain a mystery. That being said, the moderators of /r/jailbreak deserve a big pat on the back for taking decisive action, quickly. Things could have really spiraled out of control but by showing good intent early on, things were brought back into line relatively quickly.

 

Now, let’s see those notices to determine who sent them, and why.

 

Source

[jamesDDI]

LOL

[cosy]

Why does Apple do this all the time?

They already have their money from the customers, they should let them do whatever they want with their products.

I wouldn't buy a car and I get dictated on by the/its  manufacturer

[steven36]

Jail Breaking is legal in the USA  so today everything  is back to normal  . It was a fake  DMCA that holds no grounds on USA  based social media sites just they have a automaied  takedown  and lock down on social media sites. So  thats the price you pay for using centralized   platforms with AI  at the wheel .

 

[Meta] All posts removed by Reddit Legal are reinstated. All previous bans/restrictions are lifted

 

 

• Subreddit is now unlocked and Wiki is back

• Admins still haven't spoken to us We got a response!!

• Will keep thread updated if anything comes up

• Depending on which version of Reddit you use, you might not see the removed posts

• We have no idea who the copyright holder(s) are

• The OPs (Pwn, Qwerty, and u/grapheezy) received messages that the claims were invalid and that their post were reinstated. They still don't know the name of the copyright holders

  ---

WE GOT ADMIN RESPONSE!

Link to comment

Hi there! Sorry for the delay in response.

I’m getting some folks to take a look at this situation now. The OP of the posts that were taken down will be receiving a reply shortly.

r/jailbreak is not in trouble or even close to being in trouble, we really appreciate the effort you take to moderate the community to keep within site wide rules.

Source: https://old.reddit.com/r/jailbreak/comments/e9asd6/meta_all_posts_removed_by_reddit_legal_are/

 

Reddit is a toxic site   i got  downvoted and reported to the auto moderator (bot) for just telling someone  they was using the wrong program to download streams from a popular tube site and i even posted  proof  just a image and the bots PM me  in  /r/piracy . So i never sign back in since . If you want to find out something use  a search engine and go to some non Reddit site that don't  take down stuff for talking about  it and do your own software testing instead of asking stupid questions  that Reddit is famous  for , all that  bottle feeding noobs that don't how to search  and test is one of the reasons  i retired from posting warez.

 

PS: You cant help any one there even if you want too,  most subs are so parniod  about DMCA and rights holders you will get downvoted  and reported even if you just talk about something and not break any rules.  And what's  best is of a common layman's opinion  that comes out to be a shit show like using Plex is now because there going to sell your data ,or like they told the guy who i answered  back  the program they recommended  could not not download  1080p anymore from that site  while many other  programs still can .  What best for them may not be best for me or you  or even work and at the end of the day they only  can state  there opinion if  it dont get deleted for no good reason  because if you post a link  the bots will delete it. But Jail Break is legal so it's not the same but still people can report them even if they do nothing wrong.

 

ignorance is bliss and if you ask to many questions  people  will perceive you to be ignorant . The answers are there without asking even . Pirates on  Reddit dont want you to help out others in fear the method will be reported but it's all public knowledge on the clear net.anyway 

 

Quote

if you do not know about something, you do not worry about it.