If the users have enabled Advanced Data Protection and don't have another Apple device, then I can understand why it would be lost for good. But that doesn't seem to be the case in these lawsuits. They make it clear that Apple has access to the data, and could transfer/restore it if they wanted to.
But they don't.
Yes there are some high-profile instances of Apple refusing to assist. Since you've heard about those, it is only because there is no gag order on them, which means they are cases the powers that be don't care if you hear about them.
Apple is a US corporation, so for anything the government actually wants to get without publicity, they'll get a rubber stamped NSL which forces both compliance and silence and of course Apple will quietly comply.
This is why the argument of "I trust XYZ company to do right" is illogical. It doesn't matter, because they will be forced to comply. The only way to keep your data safe is to never hand it over to these third parties in the first place.
Apple has played the marketing game around some high-profile cases because they got some incredibly juicy free promotion for it but they collaborate with many governments on a daily basis.
I don't have the link but there is a page out there showing all the requests for data access that are fulfilled by big tech companies. Apple is very much collaborating in the EU, without making a single noise about it.
It's all about marketing and keeping their power. If Apple had any principle they wouldn't even being able to operate in China...
Protecting the contents of peoples devices and accounts with strong encryption and hardware security is great for the individual and protects them from thieves and governments alike. If Apple designed their devices so that they cannot unencrypt the content without the users secret passsword, that's sensible for a lot of users.
But E-Mail Addresses and Accounts are derivatives of your identity and companies should have ways of returning your accounts to you, even if the content is lost, in case of stolen identities.
I am pretty paranoid about this stuff and only store private data using encryption and on trusted devices running mostly hardened FOSS software (Graphene OS, Fedora Secure Blue, OpenSuse MicroOS, etc.) and my backups are rcloned encrypted to the cloud. Yet for my most important e-mail that is bound to paypal, banking, shopping etc. I use posteo. They do this exactly right. I have personally tested contacting their support to return access to the e-mail address in case of a "lost password". After some validation, they returned access for it to me, but the encrypted content was unrecoverable. That is exactly what any responsible company should do.
Your opinion seems to be to trivialize how important this can be, which fine you do you, but I think saying it only protects "a few dissidents" is a bit ridiculous.
Every protest I've filmed at I hit the lock button 5 times so it forces a passcode. I feel secure knowing the police can't just take it and start scrolling - they need a warrant or they're bust.
You don't have to be a dissident to need your privacy.
The middle ground option where Apple has the ability to do this but is also somehow able to take a stand against the government is kind of difficult to support, because it doesn't make much sense.
I didn’t know what that meant - so I googled it. And it says something entirely different….
Quote: Pressing the lock button (or side button) five times quickly on an iPhone or many Android devices will activate Emergency SOS. This will prompt a countdown and eventually, if not cancelled, initiate a call to emergency services, potentially alerting emergency contacts and sharing your location.
Personally, I just open the slide-to-turn-off phone screen instead (hold volume + side button for a couple seconds). Once that screen is loaded, it'll require a passcode to unlock after you cancel out.
Note that there are 5 side buttons now (if you include the 2 volume button) on current iPhones. So “side button” doesn’t mean much. The top right side button is the default lock button on all iPhones and AFAIK always has been. That’s what you use to trigger it.