[crazygringo]

That doesn't make sense. This isn't a technical hurdle, is it? Apple already can unlock your account "for the gestapo" if they choose to.

If the users have enabled Advanced Data Protection and don't have another Apple device, then I can understand why it would be lost for good. But that doesn't seem to be the case in these lawsuits. They make it clear that Apple has access to the data, and could transfer/restore it if they wanted to.

[itissid]

Not all data. Not storing location history data is an example of not opening this for gestapo by ommision. For e.g. Apple does not furnish user location info on geo fence warrants because it can't. I believe Google just made a change towardssm this direction too. It's a fine line on what data to keep to unlock for a warrant and how to make services better based off centralized user data.

[JumpCrisscross]

> Apple already can unlock your account "for the gestapo" if they choose to

But they don't.

[nativeit]

Not sure why this is getting down-voted. There are several high-profile instances of Apple refusing to assist law enforcement in gaining access to devices. I recognize this is cold comfort, and provides only marginal reassurance for the future. That said, for the moment, "But they don't," is a perfectly accurate assessment.

[jjav]

This is unfortunately a pretty naive view of how politics and power works.

Yes there are some high-profile instances of Apple refusing to assist. Since you've heard about those, it is only because there is no gag order on them, which means they are cases the powers that be don't care if you hear about them.

Apple is a US corporation, so for anything the government actually wants to get without publicity, they'll get a rubber stamped NSL which forces both compliance and silence and of course Apple will quietly comply.

This is why the argument of "I trust XYZ company to do right" is illogical. It doesn't matter, because they will be forced to comply. The only way to keep your data safe is to never hand it over to these third parties in the first place.

[yencabulator]

You do not know, and would not know, if Apple has complied with an NSL or not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_security_letter

[seec]

Charitable interpretation is that you are naive, but more realistically it's an incredibly stupid belief.

Apple has played the marketing game around some high-profile cases because they got some incredibly juicy free promotion for it but they collaborate with many governments on a daily basis.

I don't have the link but there is a page out there showing all the requests for data access that are fulfilled by big tech companies. Apple is very much collaborating in the EU, without making a single noise about it.

It's all about marketing and keeping their power. If Apple had any principle they wouldn't even being able to operate in China...