This is exactly the takeaway for people who confuse Apple’s privacy protection as benevolence or concern than a convenient business decision. Apple and Lavabit are two ways companies handle this, and one of them is the only thing a privacy company will do.
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They announced that they’re pulling ADP, they’re not telling their customers it’s E2EE when it’s not. I’m not defending Apple I’m stopping misinformation. “Apple backdoored iCloud” is misinformation.
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I hate to say this but I have little hope about this, look at our world…
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The initial promise sold was encryption A. Changing terms does not absolve Apple. Responsible disclosure is not just an announcement, it is the process to protect user choice. Apple should offer data portability, refunds, ability to wipe all data on their servers to any user who bought into the ecosystem believing their promises. It is very short sighted to point to an announcement and say responsibility ends there. iCloud is now backdoored compared to its initial promise. New users are signing up with the new terms, old users are backdoored.
It should also be their responsibility to ensure every single user is aware of it (everyone will not see the announcement), and is aware how it will become necessary to opt out after a certain date even if they don’t want to change any setting.
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This is not a backdoor as the encryption isn’t being circumvented. No longer offering ADP is very much preferable to ADP being secretly backdoored (which is seemingly still what the U.K. gov wants for users globally).
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The encryption the user decided to put is being circumvented without their consent.
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Apple does not initially sell end to end encryption for iCloud and apple forcing users to turn off ADP at some point is not a backdoor, it’s basically malicious compliance because of an authoritian goverment, end of story.
No it isn’t, they are being told to disable ADP or stop using iCloud. At no point will Apple have access to previously encrypted data without users explicitly allowing that.
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People bought into the ecosystem with the promise of encryption are having their encryption circumvented. Backdoor is not just shipping bad crypto, it is also breaking existing crypto systems without user consent.
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They’re not breaking the crypto… they’re just pulling a feature because they have to due to the laws. People should be directing their anger at the U.K. government so this can be turned around.
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I did not say breaking crypto, but breaking the crypto system. People should be angry with both, UK and Apple.
Or apple should offer refunds and assurance of data removal and portability.
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ADP is free. Also you can already download all your data and turn off iCloud easily, or switch to standard protection.
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Apple devices are not free, neither is icloud+.
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You don’t need iCloud+ to use ADP and they’re not pulling their devices just this one feature.
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You keep thinking of Apple, I keep speaking of users. Any user who bought into the ecosystem for easy encryption is currently being scammed. I am unable to continue this if you are not able to see this. The users should be offered a real choice, not a announcement and forced deadlines for moving data.
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If apple cared, they would notify all UK users of what is happening with the UK and post a blog post about this matter and point to it.
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They legally can’t
how? “it isn’t a backdoor”, right?
They’re not allowed to say that they got served this order. They’re pulling the service though. There’s no evidence any backdoor was put in.
News reports said that the Government ordered Apple to build a back door into its products under the Investigatory Powers Act, a 2016 surveillance law that includes provisions allowing the Government to order companies to remove “electronic protection” of user data. The law also prohibits the recipients of these orders, in this case Apple, from acknowledging or commenting on them and reportedly "requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material” for Apple users worldwide, including users with no apparent connection to the UK.
Source: Amnesty International
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