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Apple is taking the drastic measure of scrapping an encryption feature for users in the UK after the country’s government demanded that the iPhone maker create a backdoor capable of accessing users' iCloud storage and backups.
The opt-in Advanced Data Protection system can end-to-end encrypt your files, including iCloud data, preventing even Apple from even accessing the information. But on Friday, the company told journalists it would no longer offer the feature to new users in the UK.
In addition, Apple is preparing to phase out ADP for existing users in the region, saying they’ll "eventually need to disable this security feature," in order to keep using their iCloud account.
Apple didn’t offer a clear reason for why it’s pulling the system in the UK, but in a statement, it alluded to how the UK government reportedly issued a secret order, demanding the company give it the ability to view fully encrypted data for any user.
The demand to essentially build a backdoor capable of breaking end-to-end encryption appears to have triggered Apple to pull the plug on the privacy technology rather than comply.
“We are gravely disappointed that the protections provided by ADP will not be available to our customers in the UK given the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy,” Apple said in a statement. “Enhancing the security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever before. Apple remains committed to offering our users the highest level of security for their personal data and are hopeful that we will be able to do so in the future in the United Kingdom. As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will.”
Although Apple is canceling ADP for the UK, the company says users in the country will still receive end-to-end encryption across 14 iCloud data categories, including their passwords, payment information, and Safari web activity. Communication services including iMessage and FaceTime will also remain end-to-end encrypted.
However, the loss of ADP means UK users can no longer end-to-end encrypt their iCloud drives, or files saved through Photos, Notes, and Voice Notes, among other apps and features. Another concern is that other government, including the US, could try and follow the UK's approach.
So far, UK authorities have refused to confirm or deny the secret order to Apple, according to The Washington Post. But the UK reportedly demanded the backdoor for law enforcement investigation purposes. Meanwhile, human rights and privacy groups have slammed the secret order as an “alarming overreach.”
“The UK government’s reported order requiring Apple to provide access to encrypted user data is disproportionate by design, as it would weaken data protections for all users, not just those suspected of a crime or under investigation,” Amnesty International said last week. “Compliance with the order by Apple would harm privacy rights of users worldwide.”
Others like Apple critic, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, are accusing Apple of undermining the security of all UK users by removing the ADP feature.