iCloud: abruptes for extended end-to-end encryption in UK

Apple makes his threat to Great Britain realized: Icloud no longer allows British customers to activate the extended end-to-end encryption, as the company announced on Friday. Important data such as iCloud backups, iMessage chats and photos can no longer be fully encrypted there.

Advertisement

Apple is obviously responding to the fact that a back door for iCloud has been challenged in Great Britain: According to media reports, the government has instructed the group in a secret arrangement to create corresponding access options for those previously protected by end-to-end encryption.

Apple: clear no to back doors

“We have emphasized several times in the past that we have never created a back door or a master key for any of our products or services and we will never do this,” emphasized Apple in a statement. It is “more urgent than ever” data stored in the cloud by protecting end-to-end encryption. The company hopes to be able to offer the “in the future” function again in Great Britain.

In default, iCloud data such as iPhone backups are encrypted, but not secured by end-to-end encryption. Apple can therefore decipher this data and sometimes also publishes it to law enforcement officers. Optionally, iCloud users can activate the “extended data protection”, the encryption is then tied to the device code, which is only known to the user-Apple can no longer decipher the data (and no longer help with the restoration if you forget the device code ).

British users have to switch off end-to-end encryption

This “expanded data protection” can no longer be activated in Great Britain from Friday. British users who have previously switched on will apparently have to switch off manually if they want to continue using iCloud. Apple cannot automatically turn off the function for existing users, it is said.

Particularly sensitive data such as ICLOUD synchronized passwords and health data should remain protected unchanged by end-to-end encryption-also in Great Britain. For iCloud users in other regions, the option also remains to activate extended data protection.

The extended “Investigatory Powers Act” makes it possible for Great Britain to send such orders to providers of services with end-to-end encryption. The media reports on the secret arrangement issued to Apple caused a sensation – also internationally, because such a back door would also be possible to access encrypted data. Civil rights activists and security researchers warned of an “unprecedented attack”, and political resistance also stood in the United States.