Do y'all think Google will roll out their equivalent to Apple's Advanced Data Protection?

jonah:

This is a bold assumption to make, why would it not be?

Hardly bold. ADP to me is a competitive advantage, but not a strength. ADP is not a major driver of customers to Apple. And as you say, the upside for Google to hoover data and train their AI models on our Google Photos is stronger.

jonah:

If their actual concern was simply reducing liability/risk for hosting data on iCloud, they would make ADP mandatory and no longer host any cleartext data. It being an optional feature makes it more clear to me that Apple knows some people will switch to iCloud simply because that feature exists.

And yet Apple’s product teams are sensitive to customer perceptions of friction in the user experience. Mandatory ADP introduces friction to customers who don’t want responsibility.

I would myself not rule out Apple wanting to have its cake and it eat too. By offering ADP, Apple signals its privacy marketing is not talk. By making ADP optional , Apple leaves open the option to do something with the data of the vast majority of iCloud customers who have not opted in.