Apple—Apple launched Advanced Data Protection with end-to-end encryption for iCloud
In December 2022, Apple launched Advanced Data Protection for iCloud in the US, expanding end-to-end encryption from 14 to 23 data categories including iCloud Backup, Photos, Notes, Drive, and Messages Backups. The feature rolled out globally in January 2023. This encryption prevents Apple from accessing most iCloud data even in response to law enforcement requests or in the event of a hack, representing a significant expansion of user privacy protections beyond the default iCloud encryption that allowed Apple to hold decryption keys.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Security | +toward | secondary | +0.50 |
| Encryption & Privacy | +toward | primary | +1.00 |
| User Privacy | +toward | primary | +1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | +0.737 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
Apple announced Advanced Data Protection on December 7, 2022, expanding end-to-end encryption from 14 to 23 iCloud data categories
Apple officially launched Advanced Data Protection for iCloud on December 7, 2022, expanding end-to-end encryption coverage from 14 to 23 data categories including iCloud Backup, Photos, Notes, and Drive. The feature became available to US users by end of 2022 and rolled out globally in early 2023. This encryption prevents Apple from accessing most iCloud data even in response to law enforcement requests or in the event of a security breach. Ivan Krstić, Apple's head of Security Engineering and Architecture, stated it represents 'Apple's highest level of cloud data security.' Only iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendar remain unencrypted due to need for interoperability with global systems.