The Kill Switch on the Apple iPhone 3G

News reports confirmed that Apple had a sercret "kill-switch" built into everyone's iPhone 3G. This switch according to Apple enables them to sort of "remote control" your iPhone if Apple feels they need to do so.

They say it is just for "removing malicious software" from the user's iPod.

I am asking myself what exactly they mean by "malicious software". Maybe pirated software also counts as malicious software? We don't know.

There are 3 things that concern me here:

1. Apple didn't tell people

If you are convinced that what you do is right - then why hide it from the public? The fact that they tried to keep it secret leaves a strange taste. Why would you hide a fact that is only there "to protect people"??

2. The technical possibilities that come with it

If Apple is able to remove software from a user's iPhone - without the user's consent and probabaly without the user knowning about it - then they probabaly can do much more than that.

In order to remove software remotely you need to gain access on a very deep technical level which would enable Apple to not only remore software but practically do anything with your iPhone and its data. It is obvious: If you have access to a computer of someone and you are able to erase data: then you certainly can use this access also ro read and modify any type of data that exists on that device. This is just a personal guess. There is no evidence that they do more than erasing files, but being a software developer I am just using common sense: If I can remove files from a machine I can do much more than that.

3. Can others exploit that hole?

It is a security hole, a secret back-door or whatever you want to call it. Basically Apple has a second key to your virtual home. They can enter whenever they want. Now you might trust Apple but any type of hole could be used by others (I will leave it up to you who those others are..criminals, foreign intelliegnce, or even some smart kids who figured out how to access that kill switch - you name it.It is a sad fact of information technology that EVERY security hole will sonner or later be abused by malicious people - and malicous people are far more dangerous than "malicious software" Apple tried to protect us from.

Just imagine: What would people say if we found out that Microsoft had a way of accessing people's private computer through a secret backdoor in the Windows operating system and could look at your data and even remove software from your computer? How would that feel?

I am sure that would make people go crazy over that. Considering that Apple has done something very similatr to that (your iPhone is just like a small computer with your private data and software) I am wondering where are these people that normally cry "pricacy!"...

Comments wanted!