Apple Removes iCloud E2EE in UK: What You Need to Know
Apple has removed Advanced Data Protection (ADP) due to a request to backdoor their encryption. Apple has pulled the feature and no longer is offering ADP in the UK. I will discuss this attack on e...
I mean, this is not new. They already do this in mainland China to comply with PRC laws...
Yeah but China ain't a democracy and Apple has their stuff manufactured in China. So you'd expect them to bend over backward to comply there.
The UK on the other hand is nominally a democracy, and Apple has no vital need to keep the UK powers that be happy. Apple could very well decide to tell them to pound sand and pull out of the country for the sake of principles, and I guarantee you the UK would quickly back down.
If Apple hadn't complied in the UK, they would have lost a bit of profits for a while, and gained a ton of good will and credibility. They chose profits. Because corporation.
Incidentally, this whole thing should tell you how much of a democracy the UK really is.
I'm not a fan of Apple at all but they could've done a lot worse. They've basically refused to backdoor encryption and instead announced (as opposed to silently doing it) its removal instead.
I think what we should be more concerned about here is the total silence from other companies who offer encrypted cloud services. Might that imply they've already (as per the terms of the UK's edict) silently complied?
Seems like self hosting is going to be the only option the way things are going.
Any ideas for E2E encrypted storage alternatives?
Use whatever cloud provider + encryption on your side. That way you don't have to trust them.
I use pCloud (based in Switzerland) and what I sync is a Cryptomator vault. You have other options, such as VeraCrypt, etc.
Same, I do this with documents only though.
You could use rclone with any service it supports as encrypted cloud storage by using its crypt feature. More technical to set up though than just installing an app.
Proton offers a Drive, and they're based in Switzerland. I don't see them being strong-armed like this by the UK government any time soon.
Proton sucks, and its not even the whole CEO thing, I could barely download anything using their official Android app, and if it goes background, it just stops working (even with battery optimization disabled).
I mean, if you only use desktop, sure...
But their mobile app (at least the Android one) is garbage. You literally cannot have more than like 25 files downloading at once, imagine having 1000 pictures and have to manually download them all... 🤦♂️ (yes that's me, I had 1000 photos and had to manually download them all 25 at a time so it doesn't crash)
