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> When someone passes away, for example, it would be a terrible compounding tragedy if all their photos from their whole life passed away along with them, because they didn't tell anyone their password or where they kept the backup key.

Would you really expect Apple to recover the data in this scenario for the next of kin? I certainly wouldn't, and I wouldn't want them to.

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I definitely would if it was a regular iCloud Photo Library with decades of family history, pictures of the kids growing up, etc. Imagine all that being lost. It's not what most users would want.

If there was something the deceased person truly wanted hidden from their next of kin, they could use stronger encryption for that. The Notes app, for example, allows for note-level strong encryption. But it's not an ideal fit for the more typical use case.

Anyway, they do it.[1]

[1] http://www.cnet.com/news/widow-says-apple-told-her-to-get-co...

I think they do when they get a court order authorizing it from the estate.

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