Oliver Haslam·

Apple Dropped Plans To Add End-To-End Encryption For iCloud After Complaints From FBI [Report]

A new Reuters report claims that Apple decided against adding end-to-end encryption to iCloud backups because the FBI said that it would get in the way of their investigations.

The report suggests that Apple was keen to add the additional layer of protection to its iCloud backup service but it decided to ditch the idea after the FBI noted that it would make it more difficult for it to gain access to data when needed.

The lack of end-to-end encryption means that iCloud backups cannot store things like passwords and personal data, something that means users need to enter all of your details again once you’ve restored from an iCloud backup.

Reuters cites an unnamed former Apple employee when it says that the FBI was the reason behind the decision, with them saying “legal killed it, for reasons you can imagine.” However, the report does also note that it wasn’t able to confirm whether this was the case. And that’s an important point to remember here.

There are plenty of other reasons for Apple not to offer the encryption method on its iCloud backups, too. The company may have concerns that users would lock themselves out of their data, something that is even more possible when you consider that the people using iCloud as a backup option are likely not particularly computer literate.

Apple may be of the belief that getting them to back their devices up at all is more important than adding an extra layer of protection. And, as a result, complexity.

(Source: Reuters)

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