It is worth noting that disabling iCloud backups and iCloud features vastly limits what data Apple ever sees.
iOS+passphrase is the best security available.
There's a lot of comments here that superficially try to paint Apple as hypocrites but it falls apart the moment you actually think about it.
Apple will hand over all user data in iCloud to any law enforcement agency with a warrant [1]. That doesn't conflict at all with calling for privacy regulation. China has enacted a data localization law, and they aren't the only ones that are doing it [2]. The CLOUD Act is related to this issue.
Apple retains control of the keys for iCloud. The iCloud services that are end-to-end encrypted remain so. Apple also informed all their Chinese customers prior to this change happening.
You could argue that Apple should leave the Chinese market but that isn't realistic because it's a large market to sell to and where all of Apple's production takes place. Shutting down iCloud in China will have no practical benefit to Chinese customers (and likely make them worse off).
The common retort is to point to Google taking a big stand on principle in leaving China. But if that's the case why haven't they also left Russia and Turkey? In fact they've complied with Russia's data localization law [3] and Turkey's censorship [4] to avoid being blocked. And they're attempting to re-enter the Chinese market [5].
Apple is not a state actor and can't do anything about China's laws other than lobby against it, which they did [6]:
>“While we advocated against iCloud being subject to these laws, we were ultimately unsuccessful,” it said.
Fortunately the rule of law prevails in the US, and it is certainly well within Apple's rights to lobby for privacy legislation. And I hope they do.
You’re editorializing with “happy” and it’s a false narrative. Apple specifically said they weren’t happy about it and fought against it, but that the end result was they could either close shop in Chins or comply with the law so they decided it was better to be there than not.
So they'd defend the privacy as long as it doesn't require any serious effort from them - like denouncing Zuckerberg - but the moment the interests of their business and their users contradict, they'd throw the users under the bus. Understandable position, probably, but not exactly the one that should be a source of pride.
http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/28/technology/apple-icloud-data...