Apple Confirms Some Encrypted iCloud User Data is Stored on Google Cloud Platform

[MarkB786]

View attachment 752495

When a for-profit corporation is spending money to provide you with a service that you don't pay for, like Google, then you are the product, not the customer. Google's business is to sell you to their actual customers, which are the people who pay them. Google's motivation is to keep their actual customers happy. Their actual customers are third parties you've never heard of, never done business with, and who want to know every little detail about you as possible. As for the product (you and me), they only need to do enough to keep us around, just like a farmer needs to keep his pigs alive until he sells them to the butcher.

When a for-profit corporation is spending money to provide you with a service that you pay for, like Apple, then you are the customer. Apple's motivation is the same as Google's, to keep their actual customers happy, which in this case is you and me.

Either model is fine as long as you understand what is happening. I don't think most people understand the incredible details and depths of the online profile that is being made around them, and how easy it is to determine who that profile is even though there are assurances that no personally identifiable information is included.

I totally get the model and the extreme depth of the data mining (scanning photos, following your every move, etc.). Personally, I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of, so them knowing a lot about me is fine and actually enhances my online experience.
[doublepost=1519671682][/doublepost]

You do know that it is really not FREE right ? Google is a huge corporation that has to make a profit. They do not do that by giving away stuff for FREE.
[doublepost=1519665858][/doublepost]I am going to continue to trust that Apple is doing the right thing by me. If they say my data is safe (including being safe from snooping by Google) then I have to believe them until it is proven not to be true.

Yes, it is FREE because there is no money out of my pocket. That equals FREE. And yes, I know all about their data mining, etc. and that does not bother me in the least. Now if I was visiting shady web sites or going to dark places, I might be worried. But I actually like the enhanced web experience I get from Google.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

The fact that it is encrypted does not mean anything, it could just be encrypted with sha1 or something equally insecure, which can be broken in about 5 minutes on modern computers. Or Apple could have given Google the keys so they can make backups. Or Google just might be forwarding everything to the NSA which can break anything.

Hopefully Apple has done their due diligence, but nothing is guaranteed these days. Outsourcing iCloud storage decisions might be made by some junior manager that was told to get more storage at the cheapest cost.

And while it may be stored encrypted, who knows how it is being transferred. There are a lot of ways to make silly mistakes with data. Given that Apple has never had their A team on iCould, it would pay to be cautious, but not overly worried at this point. Google is highly deceitful, and smart and probably has a way to make it pay for them.

I GUARANTEE the terms of a services contract of this size would NOT fall to a "Junior Manager" at either Apple nor Google's end of the deal.

Google doesn't need the keys to backup data. You can backup gibberish just as easily as readable cleartext. Data is data.

No one is safe from the NSA. No one. They don't HAVE to be given access to Google's servers; because the data has to get to/from Apple <-> Google, and it is going to do that over some version of the internet.

See "No one is safe from the NSA", above.

 

[Baymowe335]

Samsung manufacturing screens, iCloud stored in Google Services, camera sensors from Sony... what’s next, Microsoft Stores selling iPhone? Jobs we miss you.

So original iPhone through the 5 when Jobs was alive...

Did Apple make their own camera sensors and manufacture their own screens? Did the cloud exist in its current form?

For that matter, Apple now ships 3X the phones they did under Jobs, have the best selling Watch in the world, and have taken Services to the 2nd biggest business at Apple. Jobs didn't even want a bigger iPhone than 4 inches...

Ahh yes, looking at the past with rose colored glasses is nice, but not necessarily relevant.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

When I discovered iCloud was using AWS and such (a curious admin and tcpdump can learn a lot) my first thought was actually why Apple is investing so much into its own data centers if it's just going to use AWS and Google anyway.

Just because they HAVE to do those deals with Google and Amazon today to get some extra closet space for their stuff, doesn't mean they want to continue them in perpetuity.

 

[CE3]

I totally get the model and the extreme depth of the data mining (scanning photos, following your every move, etc.). Personally, I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of, so them knowing a lot about me is fine and actually enhances my online experience.

And the nothing to hide argument emerges.

“Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.

“You can’t give away the rights of others because they’re not useful to you.”

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

But guess what? Da Vinci probably did produce his own paint.

But would he have done so if Grumbacher or Old Holland Oil Paints had been available from a store down the street from the Sistine Chapel?
[doublepost=1519672771][/doublepost]

But would he have done so if Grumbacher or Old Holland Oil Paints had been available from a store down the street from his studio?

 

[kaneda]

Wtf man? Do you have the slightest idea how complicated and specialized these things are?
Apple doesn't make IPS panels and never has.
Apple doesn't specialize in data storage and never has.
Apple doesn't make camera sensors and never has.

Is icar going to be Waymo?

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

Sorry, I thought iCloud supposed to be Aople’s cloud service, not Amazon and Google’s. What a joke.

You can sign up people to iCloud a LOT faster than you can build Datacenter capacity to hold that data...
[doublepost=1519673515][/doublepost]

No I get how it works now, but again, until this news I think the majority of us thought that iCloud was storing our personal data in Apple’s data centers, not Google and Amazon servers. How are we supposed to trust them when they’re not transparent to their customers about where their data is going?

They are transparent, or else someone wouldn't have been able to read a transmission log and see where the data came from/went to.
And Apple IS storing iCloud Data. What do you think they are DOING with all those Datacenters?

But need has temporarily outstripped capacity. Is Apple supposed to start turning-away iCloud Customers? This will all even-out. Apple is building Datacenters, and soon enough, the contracts with third-party Datacenters will end.

 

[ProwlingTiger]

Companies can have what seems like infinite resources. But often deploying them involves delays incurred by others.

Even Apple cannot move on a dime when it comes to, say, earmarking $1.3 Billion for a new 400,000 square foot data center, acquiring land, engaging with city planning departments and public outreach to move forward, engaging with others to provide renewable power, design, permits, construction, etc. Their latest one, in Iowa and just starting to move forward, will end up taking four or more years to completion.

Valid points, thank you for your explanation!

 

[garrick2007]

Number 1 rule of having a complete storage system is having multiple forms of backup of multiple kinds. Not a big deal

 

[MarkB786]

And the nothing to hide argument emerges.

Sure, why not? It's my choice. You don't have to use Google services, but I definitely prefer to. Do you use credit cards? Do you browse the web from home? Do you think these companies are not tracking you already? Let's not be selectively naieve.

 

[sos47]

why is my icloud more expansive than the google cloud? and is it true that encryption is good for live data, but nothing for cloud storage (who cares about 256 in 5 or 10 years)?

 

[CE3]

Sure, why not? It's my choice. You don't have to use Google services, but I definitely prefer to. Do you use credit cards? Do you browse the web from home? Do you think these companies are not tracking you already? Let's not be selectively naieve.

I’m not being naive. You thinking that your personal data would only be used to “enhance your user experience” since you have nothing to hide is what’s selectively naive. Who’s to say it couldn’t actually make your user experience worse, be used against you, or fall in the wrong hands ala a third party hack like Equifax.

I’m not saying any of that will happen to you, but again the “I have nothing to hide” argument is what’s naive. (Also i think it’s funny that the argument against privacy on the wiki article I linked comes from a former Google CEO.)

 

[MarkB786]

I’m not being naive. You thinking that your personal data would only be used to “enhance your user experience” since you have nothing to hide is what’s selectively naive. Who’s to say it couldn’t actually make your user experience worse, be used against you, or fall in the wrong hands ala a third party hack like Equifax.

I’m not saying any of that will happen to you, but again the “I have nothing to hide” argument is what’s naive. (Also i think it’s funny that the argument against privacy on the wiki article I linked comes from a Google CEO.)

I do get your point; but Equifax has SS numbers, credit card info, bank account info, etc. Google has my shopping preferences, driving habits, and favorite destinations. That is a far cry from being compromised in an Equifax breach.

 

[idunn]

Apple has confirmed that Google Cloud Platform is one of at least two third-party services it relies upon for storing encrypted iCloud account data, which it notes doesn't include any user-identifying information.

Excuse me? For one, if the files are encrypted then it shouldn't matter if user-identifying information is present or not, right? If not, then what is the point of encryption?

I rather thought one reason to use iCloud was because it was Apple-centric. Now knowing some files end up with Google is hardly reassuring, encryption or not.

 

[Mac-lover3]

It's not like all iPhone users aren't dependent on Google anyways. Google search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Drive, and now iCloud. Might as well be using an Android.

Well that depends on the user doesn't it?
Google Search? Nope, I use DuckDuckGo
Gmail? Yes, secondary email address
YouTube? Yes, it's the only option to be honest
Google Maps? Nope, Apple Maps
Google Photos? Nope, iCloud Photo Library + Time Capsule back up
Google Drive? Nope, MEGA

 

[CE3]

I do get your point; but Equifax has SS numbers, credit card info, bank account info, etc. Google has my shopping preferences, driving habits, and favorite destinations. That is a far cry from being compromised in an Equifax breach.

I do most of my banking and bill paying on the iPhone and have many cards linked to Apple Pay. My health and activity data from my Apple Watch is on my iPhone. My phone knows my face, my fingerprints, my entertainment preferences, shopping habits, and where I am in the world most of the time. I actually don’t use iCloud for most things, but I guess you’re right: on some level I trusted Apple with this data more than I did Google or Microsoft, so I was being selectively naive too (or intentionally ignorant and hoping for the best).

 

[iOzzie]

This is likely only for DR scenarios?

 

[B60boy]

I do most of my banking and bill paying on the iPhone and have many cards linked to Apple Pay. My health and activity data from my Apple Watch is on my iPhone. My phone knows my face, my fingerprints, my entertainment preferences, shopping habits, and where I am in the world most of the time. I actually don’t use iCloud for most things, but I guess you’re right: on some level I trusted Apple with this data more than I do Google or Microsoft, so I was being selectively naive too (or intentionally ignorant and hoping for the best).

Good points CE3, I have the same setup. Honestly, Apple is the only company that talks about privacy as a feature. I'm comfortable with Apple and how they run iCloud.

 

[cansuds]

There is no security at all.
[doublepost=1519684455][/doublepost]Apple confirms Siri consults Google Assistant for delayed answers

 

[MarkB786]

Good points CE3, I have the same setup. Honestly, Apple is the only company that talks about privacy as a feature. I'm comfortable with Apple and how they run iCloud.

Curious, what does Apple's terms of service say about how they can use geo-data, pictures, browsing data, cookies, clicks, etc. etc. I already know that Google pushes this to the limit, but wondering what Apple is allowed to do with data.

 

[341328]

Not good enough Apple.

 

[smoledman]

I wonder why they would switch from Azure to GCP, what's the benefit? Azure is considered best in the world cloud compute platform.

 

[Tech198]

Apple has a nice little habit of sneaking this stuff on unsuspecting users..

Amazon services would have been better than hosting via Google. I mean, does Apple really care about privacy at all now? Makes you think when this happens.

This is why i don't use iCloud. Not that i knew because i prefer my own privacy is miles better than Apple's.

 

[ackmondual]

This just in: Cloud storage isn't actually stored in the sky.

Try telling that to all the people who point their phones to the sky