> The key escrow solution is strictly worse in any future. If key escrow becomes established as a norm between cloud providers and law enforcement, then no free

> The key escrow solution is strictly worse in any future. If key escrow becomes established as a norm between cloud providers and law enforcement, then no free alternative will ever be possible. I don't think that's true. Systems or programs to encrypt locally before pushing up to a shared platform are possible and currently in use. Those that want that additional security have recourse to get it. Alternatively, people could run their own cloud sync instances (also already available in some forms). This puts the control in the users hands (don't sync to cloud, pre-encrypt to shared cloud, or do some personal sync thing), while also setting a clear precedent of what is acceptable on users personal devices. The problem here is that this implementation really has nothing to do with cloud sync. Apple has currently linked it to whether you're pushing that data to iCloud, but that's an arbitrary distinction. In the world without iCloud, they could make it scan any media that was sent across the network. The iCloud distinction is entirely arbitrary, which is why people are not satisfied with it. There is nothing beyond promises to keep it that way, and promises are less binding than laws and national security letters.