According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, via MacRumors, Apple is looking to further increase iCloud security to ensure that even Apple itself won’t be able to gain access to user information that it has stored on its servers.
The sources familiar with Apple’s plans say that Apple executives are trying to find ways to make iCloud encryption even stronger than it is currently without causing users any more inconvenience.
Presently Apple is able to access encrypted user data that is stored on iCloud via a key, which is how you are able to restore your account information if you forget your password, for example. It also enables Apple to access information that is required by law enforcement agencies provided they go through the correct legal steps to grant them access.
Apple’s reasoning for wanting to strengthen iCloud security is thought to be because it is worried that having a copy of the key leaves it vulnerable to hacking, or to be pressured by governments or other legal bodies to turn over the key, in a similar situation to the current dispute between Apple and the US government over privacy.
Source: Apple Actively Working to 'Double Down' on iCloud Encryption