Friday, December 16, 2022 1:13 pmNo Comments

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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is applauding Apple for its about-face on its misguided, ill-conceived plans to install photo-scanning software on its devices and for launching Advanced Data Protection which delivers end-to-end encryption to protect important iCloud data, including iCloud Backup, Photos, Notes, and more.

Joen Mullin for EFF:

We applaud Apple for listening to experts, child advocates, and users who want to protect their most sensitive data. Encryption is one of the most important tools we have for maintaining privacy and security online.

Apple’s on-device encryption is strong, but some especially sensitive iCloud data, such as photos and backups, has continued to be vulnerable to government demands and hackers. Users who opt in to Apple’s new proposed feature, which the company calls Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, will be protected even if there is a data breach in the cloud, a government demand, or a breach from within Apple (such as a rogue employee)

We’re also pleased to hear that Apple has officially dropped its plans to install photo-scanning software on its devices, which would have inspected users’ private photos in iCloud and iMessage… While Apple quietly postponed these scanning plans later that year, today’s announcement makes it official.

In a statement distributed to Wired and other journalists, Apple said:

We have further decided to not move forward with our previously proposed CSAM detection tool for iCloud Photos. Children can be protected without companies combing through personal data, and we will continue working with governments, child advocates, and other companies to help protect young people, preserve their right to privacy, and make the internet a safer place for children and for us all.

Companies should stop trying to square the circle by putting bugs in our pockets at the request of governments, and focus on protecting their users, and human rights. Today Apple took a big step forward on both fronts. There are a number of implementation choices that can affect the overall security of the new feature, and we’ll be pushing Apple to make sure the encryption is as strong as possible. Finally, we’d like Apple to go a step further. Turning on these privacy-protective features by default would mean that all users can have their rights protected.

MacDailyNews Take: Of course, we were staunchly against Apple’s horrific plan to scan users’ iCloud photos without permission from day one and have also been longtime advocates of Apple implementing end-to-end iCloud encryption, so we join EFF in applauding both of Apple’s moves. Both are a major win for the privacy rights of Apple device users! Well done, Apple!

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