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Turn on end-to-end encryption for your photo library where offered
Why it matters: End-to-end encryption means the company can't read your photos and neither can anyone who breaches it. The trade-off is that you become responsible for recovery.
Do it
- On an Apple account, look for Advanced Data Protection in iCloud settings, where it is available in your country.
- Before turning it on, set a recovery contact or recovery key and store the key with your important papers.
- Update every device on the account first; one too old to update has to be removed from the account before you can turn it on.
- Keep your second copy current; encryption protects privacy, not against deletion.
Check it worked: Your cloud photo library and backups are end-to-end encrypted where your platform supports it, and your recovery key or contact is set up so you can't lock yourself out.
Simply put
End-to-end encryption is like a safe deposit box where only you hold the key. Nobody at the company, or anyone who breaks into it, can look inside, and they can't open it for you either, so keep a spare key with your papers.
In detail
Do this only after the legacy kit exists: with end-to-end encryption, a lost recovery key can mean no one, including your family, ever gets the photos back. Availability varies by country and platform.
Points toward the Long View: photos the company can't open, with a recovery plan your family can use.