Can Apple see your files on iCloud Drive?

[matjamca]

Don't judge me, but I want to store some porn on iCloud Drive.

Is this permitted by Apple? I can't seem to find reference anywhere.

Apple notes that it's not interested in our files, so is this OK? - Apple shouldn't know what we have stored?

 

[Gav2k]

It's encrypted end to end and in storage

 

[Rusty33]

It's encrypted end to end and in storage

Well - at least until our friends at the NSA would like a peek 😉

 

[yg17]

No one at Apple cares if you're storing porn on iCloud, as long as it's legal.

 

[2984839]

It's encrypted end to end and in storage

Apple holds the encryption keys, so that's meaningless when it comes to Apple or the government obtaining access if they wanted to.

 

[Rigby]

It's encrypted end to end and in storage

iCloud Drive does not use end-to-end encryption. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to access your files through the icloud.com web site. It's encrypted in transit and while stored, but Apple has the keys and can access your files if they want to.

Note that other services (like Google and Microsoft) are known to routinely scan their users' files for certain objectionable material (see e.g. here). I don't know if Apple does the same, but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[barbu]

Back in the iDrive days, i kept a somewhat scummy file stored in mine. It was an silly exploit developed in metasploit, mostly just a fun proof-of-concept .scr (windows screensaver) file that would take over a system on which it was run (this being related to my professional work). Anyway, it sat around there for a while until one day my Apple ID credentials were suddenly locked. I called up Apple and, after speaking to a confused front-line guy, i got on with an engineer that explained they thought my account has been compromised on account of the 'malware' they found stored on my drive. We all had a good laugh after i explained what was up. They restored the account and i removed the file.
All that to say: they might be checking your files, or at least the signatures your of files, for certain combinations... So keep it in mind.

 

[aristobrat]

iCloud Drive does not use end-to-end encryption.

FWIW, Apple says iCloud Drive is encrypted both "in transit" and "on server". To the OP's point, that doesn't mean they don't have the ability to decrypt and read the data.

iCloud security and privacy overview

 

[chabig]

The OP could encrypt the files before putting them on iCloud. Then Apple couldn't decrypt them.

 

[Rigby]

FWIW, Apple says iCloud Drive is encrypted both "in transit" and "on server".

Yes, but that's not end-to-end encryption. End-to-end would mean that the content is encrypted and decrypted on the user's devices only, using keys that Apple never sees. Apple uses HTTPS for the "in transit" part, but the data is decrypted on their end and then re-encrypted for storage.

If you want true end-to-end encryption, look into services like Spideroak or Wuala.

 

[azulon1]

Apple holds the encryption keys, so that's meaningless when it comes to Apple or the government obtaining access if they wanted to.

Hey man is that still the case?