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by modeless 848 days ago
> "messages in icloud" is end to end encrypted, and enabling it disables messages for being included in icloud backup.

This is misleading at best. Careful reading of Apple's disclosures reveals that the "messages in iCloud" encryption keys are still included in iCloud backups, giving Apple the capability to decrypt your messages on demand for law enforcement or for any other reason of their choosing. The messages may not be in your "iCloud backups", but that's just because they are stored on Apple's "Messages in iCloud" servers instead. Apple still has them and the keys to decrypt them.

https://support.apple.com/guide/security/security-of-icloud-...

> When iCloud Backup is turned on, the backup includes a copy of the Messages in iCloud encryption key so Apple can help the user recover their messages even if they have lost access to iCloud Keychain and their trusted devices.

1 comments

Just a bit lower on the same page:

> When iCloud Backup is turned on, everything inside it is end-to-end encrypted, including the Messages in iCloud encryption key.

Meaning that Apple does not actually have access to that key, because it is encrypted before being saved to their servers.

This is misleading, again. The paragraph you quoted only applies with optional "Advanced Data Protection". Advanced Data Protection is off by default. In the default state Apple does have access to the Messages in iCloud keys in iCloud Backup, as I said.