Apple’s Craig Federighi Explains New iPhone Security Features | WSJ

Apple is finally bringing end-to-end encryption to most of iCloud, including backups, photos and more. In an exclusive interview, Apple software chief Craig Federighi sat down with WSJ’s Joanna Stern to explain how Advanced Data Protection works, and what it means for law enforcement.
Illustration: Adele Morgan
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Everything is now a tech thing. In creative and humorous videos, WSJ senior personal tech columnist Joanna Stern explains and reviews the products, services and trends that are changing our world.
#Apple #Encryption #WSJ

[@CBitsTech]

Great work explaining this for most people to understand without skipping the important points that us security enthusiasts want to know.

[@hand587]

You can criticise Apple for taking too long on this - it should have been standard long ago. But well done to them for taking this important step in allowing users to have control of their own data!

[@alexdubois6585]

Yes finally. Particularly the Yubico part. Thank you Apple.

[@spacecadet2172]

Which part are you referring to? Physical keys they are a bit late, but everywhere else they are way ahead of the rest of the industry. iMessage has been end to end encrypted since its debut in 2011 over a decade ago. That was unheard of back then.

[@lambertois11]

The horror of the Foxconn China has done extensive damage to Apple image. Craig Federighi, Tim Cook and the other Apple executives have lost whatever credibility they had. The lack of judgment of Tim Cook has also done extensive damage to Apple image. Why Tim Cook has decided year after year to all the ’’eggs in the same basket’’. Tim Cook could have decided years ago to diversify the production of Apple products in several countries; this is common sense, basic risk management! What are the secret agenda of Tim Cook, behind his persistence to keep all the Apple production in China? I have an iPhone and an iPad. They are the last products I will ever buy from Apple!!!

[@SaintFederalo]

Or you can criticize them for stealing information still

[@deforged]

@@spacecadet2172 what do you mean which part. every new part is listed in the bleeping video. maybe try watching it, before kneejerk post react with useless comments like this one.

[@billybuzy]

“We do not want to see your photos” I gaged 😂😂😂

[@martinomg]

He didn't deny they see our photos 😅

[@Alex-hv3ir]

"Do you know how the Chinese government feels about it?" "They did not tell me 🤡"

[@choisimon3705]

We already know the answers, right?

[@gfr381]

Lol

[@j340_official]

They told Tim Cook who then told him…

[@BimsaraHerath]

"They have not told me😃😃😃🤪"

[@Alex-hv3ir]

@@choisimon3705 I guess so haha

[@nellyx8051]

I don't say this often but credit to Apple.

[@Aashishkebab]

Credit for doing something that has existed for a while in other places?

[@BenWilson24]

They literally made efforts to block apps on the app store that did this

[@jacobinman2618]

Man, Craig is so good at talking to people.

[@mohamedshamekh3162]

4:12 the way Craig looked away once Joanna mentioned investigations really cracked me up😂

[@Naviss]

Great interview Joanna, As always! Looking forward to better security options too.

[@azizaj87]

What’s great about that!! they keep cutting him! 1:01 It looks like investigation

[@6alileo]

Craig Federighi with a slight smile on China "they have not told me" LOL

[@CameronKinvig]

Only a slight smile

[@davidc2072]

CCP will be the Recovery Contact for all Chinese citizens.

[@colintclai]

Great interview! Every question that popped up in my mind as I watched this was answered in the next question.

[@stanburman9978]

Excellent video and explanation. Very helpful. Thank you.

[@jacksonfolly]

Very informative interview, well done!

[@supercoolmunkee]

When people like Marques Brownlee or iJustine interview Craig, they ask advertising questions. Meanwhile WSJ asks more technically advanced questions.

[@AmpdLSU]

I agree. These interviews are closer to the definition of journalism. It's even in the name lol

[@KylePapili]

Anyone else wondering how they had multiple angles of Craig despite this interview taking place over video call? Did they also have a film team on site? Did they just request Craig setup multiple cameras? Are these just cleverly cropped angles from the one singular webcam?? So many questions WSJ

[@joannastern4463]

I'm happy to answer that! Apple shot two camera angles on their end with their crew and we shot two camera angles on our end with our crew. Then... editing! Only way to make a remote interview look good.

[@KylePapili]

@@joannastern4463 wow, thanks for the response! I understand this interview was specifically tailored to the advanced security features but did you have a chance to ask about any other topics? (China airdrop censorship, Apple car rumors, xOS trademarks, AR headset announcement, etc)?

[@jbnelson]

@@KylePapili they’ve repeatedly dodged any AR/VR headset or car rumors. Would be wasted breath. AirDrop changes would’ve been nice, however.

[@s0kulite]

@@joannastern4463wow, it’s not often that you see reporters comment below their stories. I just wanted to say, great work.

[@vamshik]

All scripted bro, WSJ and Apple seem to have a good understanding.

[@alejo2957]

wonderful reporting

[@FriedChairs]

Thanks for asking about China. I love how Craig answered the question😂. Unfortunately the iPhone is too expensive for many users in China but I hope this feature can make it onto older iPhones which will be more affordable to Chinese users.

[@user-ld4jc9je3o]

Apple has more than 50% market share in China now

[@seachemistry]

It will be on every single iPhone you can update

[@buttermashpotatoes4617]

The question about China seemed random since it's the US government most of us care about.

[@noahpoobbailey]

@@buttermashpotatoes4617 I think with the current Apple China debacle it was relevant. Also, not everyone lives in the US.

[@krazymeanie]

@@buttermashpotatoes4617 The US government is what you care about. They have alot of customers outside the US and alot more to be clear. The US isn't Apple's main market

[@lamp007]

This is one thing I definitely give Apple big props for!

[@blazbohinc4964]

That dodge when she asked about keeping data from the government “if need be” was magnificent. Go Craig. You show them!

[@aspublic]

Great interview thank you

[@boxoffice3022]

Great piece

[@woufff_]

Great, thanks for this.

[@keithndhlovu]

Great interview

[@Viral_Barn]

I love this please keep on protecting the individuals and helping your customers protect themselves. Nobody should be able to get into someone’s personal phone. Not a hacker and not a police officer for sure not the government. Privacy is a liberty that’s held dear by Americans and the war for our privacy is threatened every day.

[@EKGunnarsson]

Great questions Joanna!

[@NerdJohn]

I love this. Thank you!

[@amrikbrar]

Acc really good interview. Answered all common questions! ❤

[@tph5ht]

With the expanded end-to-end encryption, it’d be great to be able to have macs backup via timemachine directly to iCloud for convenience

[@aaron2024_1]

How much icloud storage do you have lol. Just use backblaze

[@AmpdLSU]

@@aaron2024_1 Doesn't backblaze cost the same per TB at entry level? Using a separate service from a different company would take away from the convenience aspect that @tph5ht is referring to. Apple will likely implement this soon. More services>more profit

[@panashifzco3311]

Very well explained about apple's new security feature -Advanced data protection. Great feature and great work done by apple.

[@evan]

Craig’s cheesy grin when saying the Chinese government haven’t told him how they feel on their encryption 😂

[@richmahogany1710]

she really grilled them in the last interview, good on her.

[@djr3386]

Good job Miss Joanna & WSJ Team 👍🏽

[@Thunderbolt1684]

I wish Craig was Apple's CEO.

[@0xmmn]

I think he is the next one.

[@___Truth___]

@@0xmmndefinitely would be a better option than Tim Cook

[@gokuaravind]

Why do you say that?

[@gokuaravind]

Because he speaks well? Tim cook is exactly what Apple needs. It's a 2.3 Trillion dollar company from a 153 billion dollar company in 2011 when Tim cook became CEO.

[@0xmmn]

​@@gokuaravind It doesn't make him good for the company; it just makes him good for investors. From misleading marketing statements to claiming that "what happens on an iPhone stays on an iPhone". There is also the illusion of privacy that they market for. In addition to the notorious refusal to include charge cables on the box (classic make a problem, then sell its solution), and the stickiness for the lighting cable rather than USB-C despite marketing that they care about the environment. IG if the company still runed by steve all of this won't happen, not saying steve was good person just saying he would care more about apple customers than pleasing aka "sucking b*lls" of apple's investors

[@cybermonkeyusa]

Great news! I am pumped!

[@slob5041]

Craig is my favorite apple guy

[@KypHeM]

Good segment Joana

[@scriller8]

Is there an uncut version where we hear all his answers?

[@whitemailprivilege2830]

You mean the uncircumcised version?

[@denissssss8579]

No

[@lerico536]

Craig has the most expressive eyebrows - and he's a pretty cool guy too.

[@United_Wings]

Love it!!

[@nn260]

😅lol one of the best tech journalists with humour and good personality

[@Canaan.g]

How do you enable yubikey for AID?

[@Desmond_wang]

How is it work between the device under the same account? Are they sharing the same private key on the device? What happen if one device is not update to the latest software version which has this feature? How is new iPhone setup work? Is the old device sharing the private key to the new iPhone when doing the quick setup?

[@Pressbutan]

I think the yubikey integration is a very good and thoughtful idea.

[@hotpink000]

Quality content

[@iambhavin]

"They have not told me" is the best politically correct answer. 💯

[@mrpeterpumpkin48]

Solid interview. Thank you for the plain-speak verbiage for those of us still a little new to the topic. I feel as if you have our back. Your questions have a pitch speed somewhere between softball and hardball, so direct but not rude. Also thanks for not wearing those dorky looking white pods while respectfully speaking with a fellow human being.

[@2hief]

Does anyone else love Joanna’s Craig interviews or is it just me?

[@slob5041]

She’s kinda harsh

[@quocte24h]

The content is so great. Looking forward to more videos.

[@MichaelBTech]

Joanna: "So you'll never see that photo, Craig?" Craig: "We don't want to see your photo." Way to dance around that question. 😎

[@MatejaMaric]

Are you implying that all of this is a giant scam and that none of it is actually encrypted? 🤦‍♂️

[@Theoryofcatsndogs]

NSA: hole my beer

[@MichaelBTech]

@@MatejaMaric lol no

[@afsallais9825]

5:15 😂 it should be we dont care what they think we are apple still the smile was 👌😂

[@PrinceFame25]

So how do you turn this on?

[@PratapSinghKsp]

Do we know how Apple will ensure “law enforcement”? Will they share the keys if required? How do they sync keys across devices?

[@emberglide5079]

I'm excited to see this as the norm.

[@LookNook2020]

Good to know!

[@JannesJustus]

Once again another common Joanna Stern W

[@davtra]

Already moved to GrapheneOS and using Cryptomator for cloud backups.

[@RyanNuo]

If I have already setup a Physical Security Key for my Apple ID, do I still need to generate the an account recovery code for Apple iCloud Advance Data Protection ? In other words, what the difference between Physical Security Key vs. Account Recovery Code (in iCloud)? Can I not use the same Physical Security Key to cover both my Apple ID and iCloud Advance Data Protection? It would be much easier to a keep a Physical Security Key than a printed Account Recovery Code.

[@TheLifeOnHigh]

This is an excellent comment and question. Disappointed no one has attempted to answer 🤔

[@lascurettes]

WSJ: Could you provide a link to that table (if publicly accessible) that identifies which services are or are not E2E encrypted?

[@MatejaMaric]

It’s on Apple’s support site, just a quick Google search away :)

[@FlorianWendelborn]

Basically after this feature rolls out everything besides Calendar, Mail, and Contacts is fully e2e-encrypted (those are exempt because they need to interoperable with other services) ASSUMING YOU OPT-IN OF COURSE

[@lascurettes]

@@MatejaMaric thanks, you’re not helpful or cute. I can do that. I will do that. But for journalistic integrity and citing sources, why hasn’t the WSJ done that work?

[@PMX]

@@lascurettes The iPhone shows which services are protected (and has the link to the page with more details), but as mentioned in the video, its all except mail, contacts and calendar

[@Ton343]

Hope itll come in all parts of Asia, The advanced data protection!

[@codeispoetry]

fantastic!! thank you apple!!!!!

[@shalevhaham]

I love Apple's approach to privacy. It's a human right! And they respect it! aka why I use an iPhone

[@zt9233]

Lol. Don’t be too trusting. This is all closed source. We are just taking their word for it.

[@andr3970]

I use iPhone too but in the end is their words and we don’t really have proof if what Apple is saying is really the truth.

[@fvs666]

@@zt9233bro everything can be hacked, but companies still must do everything to secure us

[@vamsikrishna1995]

"We do not want to see your photo" yes yes yes ...OMG...yes yes... what happened to me.😆

[@TylerPKegger]

So is CSAM still a thing happening because I’m still on iOS 13

[@jz29072004]

No they announced that they will not implement CSAM

[@ChimpRiot]

Big W for Apple here.

[@TheNovember6]

why is it nesceary for product placement in this video

[@calvin7422]

Very advanced

[@joe55514]

How about an end-to-end encrypted calculator app for iPad.

[@romanpower3]

Can't wait to flip that switch. Very excited

[@ALucaRD807]

finally yubikey can be used for apple id. it's so much more convenient than default 2fac from apple

[@ethanmenzel]

I love that Craig does not want to see my photo, but the government still does

[@Techinvestor567]

The government wants to see it if you are a threat to the other members of the society you have chosen to belong to :)

[@lawyermahaprasad]

Is it just me or anyone else wondering Kevin's EarPods working way seamlessly than those usually working a video call setting.??

[@martinmaertin]

Haha, it's all staged - just look at the multiple camera angles of him during the video. The pods are very likely not used or maybe only to hear the journalist. Makes the whole interview thing feel even more like a marketing stunt to me.

[@Mohamedahmed-jz7xd]

Seems like a part of a makeup while in reality he's using a professional mic for this interview.

[@spacecadet2172]

Who is Kevin?

[@spacecadet2172]

@@martinmaertinthey use the AirPods to hear what the other person is saying in real time. The video feed they chat via is not shown in the finished product. That is filmed locally on cameras and then edited together after the fact.

[@AmpdLSU]

@@martinmaertin What @Space Cadet said. 100% AirPod's microphone quality is not that good. But there's no reason to believe he's not listening to the call with them. If you owned a company that produced goods and services, regardless of the status of it, would you really not try and get some extra marketing in for other products you may not even be discussing? Joanna, the interviewer, actually replied in the comments section to someone pointing out all the cuts and questioning the validity of the journalism. She basically said of course they set up two cameras and a mic at each party's location to make for a quality video, rather than posting a one sided screen recording of a video call. It doesn't necessarily mean all the questions are known beforehand and it's purely actors going over a script. I'm still open to the thought that they did discuss questions that were off grounds and would neither result in Apple getting their message, which yes is still marketing, spread as much as possible, and WSJ not getting a high profile interview at all. Anything a company publicizes is inherently a form of marketing, as long as the public is their target market.

[@Ljcoleslaw]

ADVANCED DATA PROTECTION :O

[@RJtoon1]

Ok I’m what type of situation would we need to “recover”our data? If I get a new phone I just log in with my Apple ID and PW right????? This end to end encryption does not affect iCloud backups correct!!?? Where in the world do you get a key if you don’t want to use a contact??!

[@TheBlueOwlX]

FINALLY!

[@ronaldbardalez6318]

Joanna Stern = Apple's spokesperson.

[@o-o4452]

A reddit user found someone else’s files in his iCloud library which included bank credentials and other logins, some people said it also happened to them ;so hopefully this update will solve it

[@ranamorjal]

what about RCS ?

[@unsicheresgangbild]

Finally. Thanks apple.

[@tipoomaster]

Take a shot every time he says data protection

[@Pinefenario]

That’s good news

[@JunkionMarnot2005]

A bit simplified, but informative. And I think because it’s some as prestigious at Joanna, she gets away with some of the questions. Or maybe it’s that Craig isn’t as guarded/critical.

[@proton7113]

How can this security contact help to decrypt/retrieve the data? If the password is lost the password is lost? Or should the password be told to this person?

[@cat-.-]

Apple holds a partial key that is useless on it own. Your contact holds another partial key thats useless on its own. Combined, these keys can decrypt your photo.

[@crypticTV]

2:22 rekt lol 😂😂

[@alex_de.sign_eng]

its wow!

[@ihtesham_emon]

Huge thanks to Apple for this BOLD move! ❤️

[@chris_kouts]

Why didn't you ask about apples lack of adopting RCS(end to end encryption) the successor to SMS? We all send texts to non iPhones from time to time.

[@JackSalzman]

With advanced data protection enabled, you are disallowed from adding legacy devices that don’t support the latest version of iOS/macOS, until you turn it off. It actually completely blocks iCloud signin on windows

[@luluthecat1570]

Doesnt it just send the "An unrecognized device may have been added to your account" message?

[@JPS13Laptop]

@@luluthecat1570 Idk about it completely blocking the sign-in, but you certainly wouldn't be able to access the protected data and no I don't think you would get the unrecognised device error in that case.

[@carloscervantes836]

Good.

[@kimbapslayer1995]

Why is this an opt-in feature? And not a new standard instead?

[@JeremyCook]

Makes me want to get an iPhone.

[@chiakarim6042]

he said "we do not want to see your photo" 2:20 so it means they can see it :D

[@denisruskin348]

Looks advanced.

[@quentinlemaitre2998]

It is. But it's great!

[@jsytac]

This isn’t ‘end to end’ encryption, it is ‘zero knowledge encryption’. ‘End to end’ encryption already existed on iMessage, but the backups in iCloud were not encrypted and could be read by Apple and security services.

[@oneloveonebeing]

love apple

[@merlinaltmann1276]

The China answer killed my 😂

[@Inchance_trade]

What about FSB or KGB data protection?

[@rayyanhussain6805]

Apple's security is the best in industry

[@arambhikrut7258]

its protection…of data…. that’s advanced , hope things are cleared👍

[@seansull]

Note that NO other cloud provider in the mainstream is end-to-end encrypted. This is an industry FIRST.

[@madhukrishnann]

Federighi about mother-in-laws: “We all have those.”

[@martinnhantran]

5:15 They have not told me😁

[@samuelelias4629]

Thank you Apple.