Apple Makes iCloud Safari Bookmarks End-To-End Encrypted [Updated]
Apple has toggled end-to-end encryption for Safari bookmarks in iCloud, further expanding the type of user data that the company fully encrypts, offering the highest level of privacy and data protection.
Spotted on Reddit, an update to Apple's "iCloud security overview" page has indicated that alongside Safari tabs and history, Safari bookmarks are now end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one, not even Apple, can access users' saved Safari bookmarks. Based on the timing of the update, Apple likely did this change around the release of iOS and iPadOS 15. Apple didn't respond to a request for comment.
With Safari bookmarks now an added data point that's end-to-end encrypted, what remains not end-to-end encrypted is worth noting. iCloud backups, for example, are only protected using 128-bit AES encryption, alongside Photos, Reminders, Notes, and more. In recent months, Apple has come under pressure to make iCloud Photos and iCloud backups fully end-to-end encrypted, but the company has yet to make those changes.
Update Following our report from yesterday, Apple has updated its support page to indicate that Safari bookmarks are not actually end-to-end encrypted, and instead just protected using a standard "minimum of 128-bit AES encryption." While bookmarks remain not end-to-end encrypted, Safari Tab Groups now are.
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