On 2024-09-30 15:18, Your Name wrote:
> On 2024-09-30 18:07:45 +0000, Tom Elam said:
>> On 9/24/2024 11:45 AM, Newyana2 wrote:
>>> On 9/24/2024 9:13 AM, -hh wrote:
>>>
>>> It's not my intention to argue with you or try to convert you. I
>>> only post these things because if it were me, I'd want people
>>> to tell me. And this is a public forum where people might come
>>> across this info. And some people are not ostriches.
>>
>> I seem to remember an instance from some years back where a couple who
>> had shot up some folks were turned into mincemeat by law enforcement.
>> An iPhone of theirs survived the hail of bullets. Apple would not give
>> the cops the encryption key. Cops had to turn to a hacker to get into
>> the phone.
>
> Apple can not give anyone access to someone else's device. Apple stores
> the user's *public key* on their servers, but the user *private key* is
> stored on the device itself. There's no way for Apple to access that
> private key, even if they wanted to ... despite what the brainless
> numbnut trolls and conspiracy nutters like "Newyana2" want to
> idiotically believe.
>
>

That's actually not an accurate description of the subject.

The standard setup for iCloud DOES have Apple storing the private keys
to your data:

'The encryption keys from your trusted devices are secured in Apple data
centers, so Apple can decrypt your data on your behalf whenever you need
it, such as when you sign in on a new device, restore from a backup, or
recover your data after you’ve forgotten your password.'

<https://support.apple.com/en-ca/102651>

For complete clarity, the fact that it says "so Apple can decrypt your
data on your behalf", means they hold your private keys.

However!

'Advanced Data Protection for iCloud

Starting with iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 and macOS 13.1, you can choose to
enable Advanced Data Protection to protect the vast majority of your
iCloud data, even in the case of a data breach in the cloud.'

And that protection means that Apple won't hold your private keys:

'If you enable Advanced Data Protection and then lose access to your
account, Apple will not have the encryption keys to help you recover it
— you’ll need to use your device passcode or password, a recovery
contact, or a personal recovery key.'