John Gruber:

I want to go deep on this, because, if true, it’s staggering, heartbreaking news. Go read Menn’s entire report. I’ll wait.

Here’s the link to the Reuter’s article John references.

Gruber’s post is relatively easy to follow, and worth your time.

Part of the problem for me with this whole encryption debate is the jargon. You have to work hard to make sure you are following along properly, to understand the implications of end-to-end encryption, and encrypting iCloud backups.

End-to-end encryption means your messages are encrypted when you type them, then decrypted on the receiving end. Encrypting iCloud backups means what it says, that the backup of your iPhone stored in the cloud is encrypted.

I say this, not with any air of authority (believe me, I struggle to keep all the concepts straight in my head), but because it brings a Steve Jobs quote to mind:

Privacy means people know what they’re signing up for, in plain English and repeatedly.

Things have gotten pretty abstract, no?

Side note: Can’t I still make an encrypted backup if I want one? At the very least, using a cable between my iPhone and my Mac?