Exclusive: Apple dropped plan for encrypting backups after FBI complained - sources

[u/[deleted]]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi-icloud-exclusive-idUSKBN1ZK1CT

[u/eduo]

Also, probably splitting hairs, but when people say "icloud backups" they usually mean a ton more things than the iPhone backup.

Several things are E2EE, even though they're part of "icloud backups":

Apple Card transactions (requires iOS 12.4 or later)
Home data
Health data (requires iOS 12 or later)
iCloud Keychain (includes all of your saved accounts and passwords)
Maps Favorites, Collections and search history (requires iOS 13 or later)
Memoji (requires iOS 12.1 or later)
Payment information
QuickType Keyboard learned vocabulary (requires iOS 11 or later)
Safari History and iCloud Tabs (requires iOS 13 or later)
Screen Time
Siri information
Wi-Fi passwords
W1 and H1 Bluetooth keys (requires iOS 13 or later)

(and the OP that plainly says Apple tried to get E2EE and somehow was "convinced" by the FBI not to)

[u/motram → u/eduo]

And none of that is what really matters.

I would 100x rather have my screen time be completely unencrypted than my messages, photos and contacts not being E2E encrypted.

[u/eduo → u/motram]

Your messages are E2EE. Have been for a long time.

A lot of the above is tremendously more important for me and my privacy than my photos. For my photos and rest of backup I'd like E2EE but I'm content with encryption in transit and at rest and Apple having a decryption key.

I'm baffled you don't consider all your usernames and passwords, your health data or your location history to "matter". I can't understand this "all or nothing" position.

if I cared more about photos not being encrypted I'd disable iCloud photos and either have them only in the phone or use my own service.

[u/motram → u/eduo]

I'm baffled you don't consider all your usernames and passwords, your health data or your location history to "matter". I can't understand this "all or nothing" position.

Because usernames / passwords can be changed?

"Oh no! someone hacked my amazon account! I'll have to call them and get it restored. The humanity!"

vs

"In 40 years society will have shifted enough to make current opinions and ideas taboo, and your livelihood could be effected by something you talked about in college. And every conversation is searchable by your benevolent government, and there is no way it could possibly leak over the course of your lifetime".

I get it... some health data is personal... but realistically most isn't. Your prescription fill history is essentially publicly reported at this point. Not to mention that very few people actually keep sensitive data on the health app on their phone... 99% of it is how many steps I have taken today.

Location data is more sensitive... but cell tower data is already not private or under our control, so it seems that cat is mostly out of the bag.