Based on information received by multiple unnamed FBI and Apple sources, the report says that the decision was made after Apple shared its plan for end-to-end encrypted iCloud backups with the FBI and the FBI objected to it.
Did Apple drop end-to-end encrypted iCloud backups because of the FBI
According to a report from Reuters, Apple abandoned plans to release an end-to-end encrypted version of iCloud backups after facing complaints from the FBI who told Apple that it would hinder their investigations.
Reuters says that it is possible that other factors led to the decision to drop the initiative, such as the fear that customers would accidentally enable end-to-end backups without realizing the consequences, then forget their password and lose all access to important personal information like their photo library.
Reuters today alleged Apple did bow to pressure from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which reportedly demanded that the Cupertino firm drop plans to roll out end-to-end encryption for iCloud device backups, claiming doing so would harm investigations.
There is a lot of speculation about that. Two years ago, Reuters reported that the FBI pressured the company into dropping plans to enable that feature, saying it would harm investigations. This is because many police investigations have relied on access to phone backups that Apple was able to hand over when presented with a warrant. That won't be possible anymore. In fact, when Apple announced the new iCloud data protection measures last week, FBI sources told The Washington Post they were "deeply concerned" with the threat that user-controlled encryption poses and that it "hinders our ability to protect the American people from criminal acts ranging from cyber-attacks and violence against children to drug trafficking, organized crime, and terrorism."
This probably means that iMessage can be E2E and if people are serious about security they already new about unsecure nature of iCloud backups and disabled them. And for many unexperienced users iCloud backup is a bad deal too, just because 5Gb is ridiculously insufficient and backup often is a first candidate to drop in order to free up space for photos.
Two years ago, Apple dropped a plan that would have made it impossible for the company to decrypt iPhone and iPad backups for law enforcement, according to a Reuters report today. Reuters wrote that "six sources familiar with the matter" confirmed that Apple dropped the end-to-end encryption plan for iCloud Backup "after the FBI complained that the move would harm investigations."
You're wrong about the specifics, but that's not your fault; it's simply confusing! As with anything, Apple can only access data they hold the encryption keys to. Apple supposedly has the ability to decrypt iCloud backups. And while you may very well sync your 1Password data to iCloud in the app or backup your entire device, your 1Password data is encrypted from the outset ("end-to-end", as Stephen_C mentioned), 1Password simply doesn't depend on the sync or backup service (iCloud or otherwise) to protect your data. 1Password is secure by design, not by chance. 2ff7e9595c
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