In one of the boldest moves to protect user data, Apple has announced an expansion of its end-to-end encryption for its various Cloud services. The company is calling it Advanced Data Protection and once it’s in place, only you will have access to your data.

What is it?

Under Advanced Data Protection, there will be end-to-end data encryption and Apple is expanding the number of “data categories” protected by it from 14 to 23, with backups, Notes and Photos now covered. The question is how does it work and why you need it. Joanne Stern of Wall Street Journal has a good explanation. At the moment, you have a document or a photo, which resides on your iCloud account. Under the company’s standard data protection, the photo or document is encrypted by the device with a key that can unlock the data. All this is encrypted while it goes to Apple’s server. If hackers got access to the server and the key, they could see the photo or document. With Advanced Data Protection turned on, the document or photo will be end-to-end encrypted, meaning Apple doesn’t have a key. Only you do.

Will it be allowed outside the US?

Yes. Advanced Data Protection for iCloud is now available in the US for members of the Apple Beta Software Programme and will be available to US users by the end of the year. The feature will start rolling out to the rest of the world in early 2023. China too will be included on the list.

What happens if I lose my Apple device?

Now that the encryption key is only on one’s Apple device, what happens to data recovery if you lose the key/device? If you can’t get into your device, how do you recover the data? Apple doesn’t have a key. Well, you can set-up a person you trust as a recovery contact. This person will not be able to use the information directly but the trusted source can assist you recover the data that’s protected with a key. There is also a recovery key option, which will generate a key that you can take a printout of and keep it safe.

What will law enforcement say?

Lawmakers have access to very important data and they wouldn’t like it to fall in the wrong hands. So with users having the only key, it will be impossible for bad players to get hold of data.

There is also iMessage contact verification

With iMessage Contact Key Verification, users who face extraordinary digital threats — such as journalists, human rights activists, and members of government — can choose to further verify that they are messaging only with the people they intend. Conversations between users who have enabled iMessage Contact Key Verification receive automatic alerts if an exceptionally advanced adversary, such as a state-sponsored attacker, were ever to succeed breaching Cloud servers and inserting their own device to eavesdrop on these encrypted communications.

Picture: Apple