[News Terms] "Even the FBI Can't See"… Apple 'End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)'

Powerful Encryption Features to Block Hacker Access
Concerns Over Concealment of Digital Crimes in Ilgakseon

Apple's new product iPhone 14 Pro. / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] U.S. investigative authorities have expressed concerns over Apple's policy to strengthen consumer personal information security. This is due to the 'end-to-end encryption (E2EE)' scheduled to be applied worldwide starting next year. Once this feature is implemented, investigative authorities will no longer be able to read personal information such as message contents recorded on servers.

The IT media outlet 'Apple Insider' reported on the 8th (local time) that Apple will add the E2EE feature to its U.S. iCloud service within this year. This feature will be expanded to Apple services worldwide next year. Regarding this move by Apple, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is said to have expressed concerns. It is pointed out that the FBI's investigative capabilities may be limited once E2EE is introduced.

End-to-End Encryption: Encrypting Messages from Origin to Destination

E2EE literally means maintaining encryption throughout the entire process from sending to receiving a message. Both ends of the message transmission process are fully encrypted.

Let's assume A and C are exchanging messages. They send messages via server B. In a typical encryption method, A sends an encrypted message to server B. B decrypts it into a readable sentence and stores it. When sending to C, it goes through encryption again. C decrypts the message and reads it in plain text. Simply put, messages stored on the server are not encrypted; only the transmission process is encrypted.

Apple's planned 'Advanced Data Protection' (ADP) option adds end-to-end encryption to iCloud backup data, blocking third-party access. Photo by Apple

Third parties such as hackers cannot read messages intercepted between A and C. However, people with access to the server can see all messages. E2EE transmits messages encrypted from A → B (server) → C. Only the final recipient C can decrypt and read the message. Even if someone successfully hacks server B, they cannot read messages exchanged between A and C. Therefore, under the existing encryption method, if the FBI conducts a search and seizure of Apple's servers, they can check related messages, but with E2EE, even searching the server does not allow access to the original messages.

Protecting Privacy but Raising Concerns of 'Crime Concealment'

Some social networking services (SNS) that emphasize customer privacy protection actively use the E2EE feature. The Russian platform 'Telegram' is a representative example. Since 2015, KakaoTalk's 'Secret Chat' feature in Korea has also supported E2EE.

However, there is much criticism that E2EE's strong encryption can conceal the identities of digital criminals. For example, Facebook and Instagram, operated by Meta, attempted to introduce E2EE in their messenger services starting in 2019 but faced strong opposition from international child protection organizations. Currently, Meta has postponed the launch of E2EE messengers until next year.