Apple has announced it will remove its highest-level data security tool, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), for customers in the United Kingdom following a dispute with the government over access to user data.
The move comes after the UK Home Office requested the right to access information stored under the end-to-end encryption service, which prevents even Apple from viewing user content such as photos and documents.
The tech giant, which has long resisted government demands for encryption backdoors, initially declined to comment on the request but has now confirmed that UK users will no longer be able to activate ADP.
“As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products, and we never will,” Apple stated, expressing its disappointment over the decision.
From 1500 GMT on Friday, UK Apple users attempting to enable ADP have encountered an error message, and existing users will soon lose access. The exact number of British users who signed up for ADP since its launch in December 2022 remains unknown.
Cyber-security experts have widely criticised the government’s move. Prof Alan Woodward of Surrey University described it as “a very disappointing development” and “an act of self-harm,” arguing that the UK had weakened online security and privacy.
“It is naïve to think they could tell a US technology company what to do globally,” he said. Meanwhile, online privacy expert Caro Robson called Apple’s decision to withdraw ADP “unprecedented” and warned that it could set “a very, very worrying precedent” if other firms followed suit.
The dispute stems from an order issued under the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), which compels companies to provide law enforcement with access to data upon request.
Apple and the Home Office have refused to confirm or deny the existence of the notice, but reports from the BBC and The Washington Post suggest it played a central role in Apple’s decision.
Privacy advocates have condemned the UK government’s demand as “an unprecedented attack” on personal data security. WhatsApp head Will Cathcart warned that “if the UK forces a global backdoor into Apple’s security, it will make everyone in every country less safe.”
The controversy has also raised concerns in the US, with two senior politicians arguing that the UK’s actions pose a threat to American national security. Senator Ron Wyden warned that Apple’s withdrawal of encrypted backups in the UK “creates a dangerous precedent which authoritarian countries will surely follow.”
He added that the move was unlikely to stop the UK from pressing its demands, which could “seriously threaten” American users’ privacy.
Despite the backlash, Apple said it remained committed to user security. “Enhancing the security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever before,” the company stated, adding that it hoped to restore the feature for UK users in the future.
However, child protection advocates have urged Apple to strike a balance between security and safeguarding measures. Rani Govender of the NSPCC called on the company to “ensure they are balancing child and user safety with privacy” as it reviews its encryption policies. The UK charity has argued that fully encrypted services can make it harder to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Yet, experts like Emily Taylor, co-founder of Global Signal Exchange, say the debate has been oversimplified. “Encryption is something that we use every day,” she noted. “Whether it’s communicating with our bank or using encrypted messaging apps, encryption is a form of privacy in an otherwise very insecure online world.”
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