![]() ![]() Apple presumably knows exactly the percentage of users locked out from how much data, and I expect it’s not negligible. Criminals might also get access to it in general breaches, but for most people that’s a lower level of disaster than a fire. In some circumstances that data might be needed in a hurry to recover from whatever disaster caused it be lost. any of which can cause loss of all or most data. Most people aren’t targeted as individuals, and the biggest threats to their data are probably ransomware, house fires, thieves, etc. And it must also walk the more prosaic line of trading off a hard-line privacy stance against the very real need to deal with simple human error at a massive scale. Simultaneously, Apple also has to deal with accusations, now from both Democratic and Republican administrations, of protecting criminals. The company’s privacy stance dictates that it should allow users to encrypt their iCloud backups such that even it can’t peek into them. Regardless, Apple is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Also, remember that as of iOS 13, you can now transfer apps and settings directly from an old iPhone to a new one, without the intermediary of an iCloud backup. Unfortunately, we’ve found such backups to be somewhat unreliable in recent years. What can you do to protect your data from being turned over by Apple in response to a court order? You could disable iCloud backups on your iPhone and iPad in Settings > Your Name > iCloud > iCloud Backup and instead perform encrypted backups on your Mac, either in iTunes or in the Finder in macOS 10.15 Catalina. As long as Apple holds those encryption keys, the company can help users get back into their accounts and restore their data. Both our security editor, Rich Mogull, and iMore’s Rene Ritchie have heard that part of the motivation for not offering a personal encryption key is the number of people who lock themselves out of their iCloud accounts. However, Reuters may not have the whole story. ![]() The FBI objected, and Apple decided to drop the feature because it “did not want to risk being attacked by public officials for protecting criminals, sued for moving previously accessible data out of reach of government agencies or used as an excuse for new legislation against encryption.” Reuters’s sources are anonymous but include several current and former Apple and FBI employees. Apple’s privacy stance has caused it to clash with the FBI in recent years, first over Apple’s inability to decrypt the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone (see “ Thoughts on Tim Cook’s Open Letter Criticizing Backdoors,” 17 February 2016), and most recently over the Pensacola naval base shooting (see “ Is the FBI Gearing Up for Another Encryption Fight with Apple?,” 9 January 2020).Īlthough Apple has used these public spats to bolster its privacy cred, Reuters sources say the company contacted the FBI before moving forward with allowing users to hold their own iCloud Backup encryption keys. Reuters is reporting that Apple made the decision not to let users create and store personal encryption keys for iCloud Backup under pressure from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. Lose that key and the data is gone forever, with no recovery option. Some similar services-including Backblaze, iDrive Online Backup, SOS Online Backup, and Zoolz Home-allow you to create and store a personal encryption key, ensuring that you and only you can ever read those backups. Instead, Apple always holds that encryption key, thus giving the company access to everything in your backup. One downside of iCloud Backup for those who are interested in privacy is that, unlike with the Mac’s FileVault data encryption, Apple provides no option to store the encryption key yourself. #1628: iPhone 14 impressions, Dark Sky end-of-life, tales from Rogue AmoebaĪpple Allegedly Dropped Full iCloud Backup Encryption under FBI Pressure.#1629: iOS 16.0.2, customizing the iOS 16 Lock Screen, iPhone wallet cases, meditate for free with Oak.#1630: Apple Books changes in iOS 16, simplified USB branding, recovering a lost Google Workspace account.#1631: iOS 16.0.3 and watchOS 9.0.2, roller coasters trigger Crash Detection, Medications in iOS 16, watchOS 9 Low Power Mode.#1632: Apple Card Savings accounts, SOS in the iPhone status bar, Tab Wrangler, Focus in iOS 16. ![]()
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