Hacker News Reader

This is categorically and demonstrably false. Backing up to iCloud is disabled by default, as is Messages in iCloud. Either can be enabled or disabled as desired with no ill effect on your device or the rest of iCloud usage.

iCloud backup is on by default.

No - setting up an iPhone from new doesn’t even require an iCloud account. If you set up iCloud it will enable backups, but even then you can disable them without disabling ‘all of icloud’ as GP claims.

The fact that iCloud is not required to activate does not change the fact that iCloud is on by default and iCloud backup is also on by default.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "e2e was found to be flawed"? Is the paper available online?

Commenter probably meant this research[0].

[0] - https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2016/03/21/attack-o...

There is the option in Settings to disable storing Messages and Backups in iCloud.

...which does not affect the storing of Messages in device backups into iCloud.