Apple is drastically increasing security precautions: In the future, the tech group will enable fully encrypted backups of photos, chat histories and most other sensitive user data worldwide in its cloud storage system.
The end-to-end encryption protects the data better against access by hackers and spies. However, they will then also be inaccessible to criminal investigators.
That’s why the FBI is sounding the alarm. Opposite of „Washington Post“ A Federal Police spokesman said, “This is hampering our ability to protect the American people from criminal activities ranging from cyberattacks and violence against children to drug trafficking, organized crime and terrorism.”
The FBI spokesman added that the agency is “deeply concerned” about Apple’s new encryption.
For many years, Apple has tried to position itself as a provider that does more to protect the privacy of its customers than the competition.
Technology is to be rolled out worldwide
The Apple Messenger iMessage is already protected by end-to-end encryption between the Apple devices. The content can only be read on the devices involved, but not by Apple, the phone service provider, or the police with a search warrant.
However, until now there has been a back door for investigators: they were often able to access the content anyway. Namely when the users had saved the messages, photos and etc. in an iCloud backup, i.e. Apple’s online storage.
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They have so far been unencrypted there and could therefore be passed on to the authorities with judicial approval. That would no longer be possible in the future.
Apple pointed out that threats to user data are becoming more sophisticated and complex. Therefore, this additional protective measure is introduced.
The encryption will initially be available to customers in the USA, but will be rolled out worldwide in 2023 – even in China.
Apple recently had one there Limited function apparently at the request of the Communist Party: The data exchange service AirDrop was secretly modified in such a way that the distribution of protest videos, for example, was made considerably more difficult.