Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row
www.bbc.com
Customers' photos and documents stored online will no longer be protected by end-to-end encryption.

BBC News - Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row

  • “In a statement Apple said it was “gravely disappointed” that the security feature would no longer be available to British customers.”

Washington post - Apple yanks encrypted storage in U.K. instead of allowing backdoor access

I guess removing access for the uk is better than backdooring it in silence. But still, not great.

Also, it is interesting comparing compliance on this with complying with the EU on sideloading apps.

Original title: ‘Apple caved and pulled end-to-end encrypted backups in the uk’ - record of bad take title

  • Pika@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    7·
    1 day ago

    I want to say I agree that Apple was put in a Lose Lose here. Building a backdoor would be detrimental, but removing the obstacle does no better. Now other countries can say “well shoot if we just force them to put a backdoor in they’ll just remove the issue entirely”. The main issue that the EU had with e2e is that they lacked the capability of accessing the data, Apple removing e2e in the EU moreorless said “yea sure whatever you can access the data, we just don’t want you to access the rest of the worlds data”

    But whats the next step for when the next country (say the US) also decides they want a piece of that action. “Oh let me remove e2e in the US as a whole as well”.

    This was an L across the entire board privacy and reputation wise. Apple has set the precedent that they will cave and cater to big brother corporations if it means they can stay in operation in that country. It completely destroyed all the trust that they got from the previous fight vs the US government as a result.

    I don’t really know what they could have done differently then fight it though.