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Shocker: Apple Mum About iCloud Encryption

January 22, 2020

The FBI and Apple have had several bouts of arguing about encryption. Things really got heated in 2016 when the FBI wanted Apple to assist in getting into the iPhone 5C used in a 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. Apple refused to create a special version of the operating system that would allow access to the stored contents. Apple did turn over information from the associated iCloud account. The FBI ultimately did get access to the iPhone, reportedly using the services of a mobile forensics company.

Apple then went on to say it planned to implement the same type of encryption design for iCloud access as exists for the iPhone as reported by Reuters. In other words, users would control the encryption key for iCloud just like they currently do for the iPhone. Apparently, that ticked off the FBI since it would like backdoors for all encrypted data. It looks like Apple buckled to the pressure as one Apple employee stated, "Legal killed it, for reasons you can imagine." It looks like Apple will not be locking down iCloud data after all. "Once the decision was made, the 10 or so experts on the Apple encryption project – variously code-named Plesio and KeyDrop – were told to stop working on the effort, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters."

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