“Apple’s iCloud service lets users sync a staggering amount of data between Macs, Windows PCs, iPhones, and iPads,” Chris Foresman reports for Ars Technica. “Though Apple says it stores this data securely in an encrypted format, just how safe is it? An Ars reader wrote in to ask us this question, so we decided to investigate.”
“The simple answer is that your data is at least as safe as it is when stored on any remote server, if not more so,” Foresman reports. “All data is transferred to computers and mobile devices using secure sockets layer via WebDAV, IMAP, or HTTP. All data except e-mail and notes — more on that later — are stored and encrypted on disk on Apple’s servers. And secure authentication tokens are created on mobile devices to retrieve information without constantly transmitting a password.”
Foresman reports, “As best as we can determine, if your Apple ID isn’t a widely known e-mail address with an easy-to-guess password (Apple now requires a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers, at a minimum), your iCloud data is effectively ‘safe’ from hackers or prying third parties.”
Read more in the full article – recommended – here.
I’m not worried about hackers seeing my data. Does the government have access to my data?
I think that if the gov’t wants your data there is pretty much nothing you can do it stop them. I’m sure Apple has an official policy on requiring a warrant for any gov’t agency to access data in iCloud. But I would bet that if the gov’t really wanted to get in there they could, if they have not already.
And that, my dear friend, is why I don’t use iCloud or any other cloud service (for anything but contact address synchronization). I keep my backups at home on my own hard drives. If the government wants my data, they will have to get a search warrant; serve me personally; and take out of my own house. I’m not going to pay a monthly or annual fee to some data warehouse across the country where I yield access to the government so that they can secretly seize my data.
I am just interested to know what data you have that your government would find so interesting. Prehaps you should be asking yourself what information you hold and why?
Agreed. Why would anyone care that the government is looking at there data if they do not have anything to hide?
Are you guys serious!?? Just because you look good naked doesn’t mean you want people to see you naked.
It’s none of their business… why would you want them to be able to? Were you one of those creeps who brought apples for the teacher?
Mark, as a matter of fact, I have nothing to hide. I’m a good and responsible citizen. I pay my taxes; I obey the law; I’m faithful to my partner; I give to charity. I believe that privacy matters, even if you do have nothing to hide. The idea of “nothing to hide, nothing to fear” is a myth. Please check out this article:
http://chronicle.com/article/Why-Privacy-Matters-Even-if/127461/
Actually, the first 5 GB IS free.
And the government will do EXACTLY what you have described above if we decide you are worth pursuing… As a matter of fact you have now piqued our interest… Expect a knock on your door within the next few days…, thanks for letting us know we should investigate..,
Bryan, if the government really wanted to see your data, they would just go get it off your internet-connected home computer, search warrant or not. They really wouldn’t care about a search warrant unless they were planning to arrest and try you for some crime.
This is a hit whore piece. It’s well known that Apple doesn’t like marketing their customer’s data. “How safe is your data…”? If hat doesn’t generate hits, 4.6″ iPhone 5 will…
*that, not hat. Spam dell checker!
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