Apple: Most iCloud data can now be end-to-end encrypted

Apple on Dec 7, 2022 said it is beefing up defence of data that users store in the cloud, a move that could thwart authorities as well as hackers. The iPhone maker's Advanced Data Protection plan extends something called end-to-end encryption beyond its iMessage service to photos and other data backed up to its iCloud storage service. — AFP

BOSTON: As part of an ongoing privacy push, Apple said on Dec 7 it will now offer full end-to-encryption for nearly all the data its users store in its global cloud-based storage system. That will make it more difficult for hackers, spies and law enforcement agencies to access sensitive user information.

The world’s most valuable company has long placed customer security and privacy at a premium. Its iMessage and Facetime communications services are fully encrypted end-to-end and it has sometimes locked horns with law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, over its refusal to unlock devices.