Apple Has Removed Its Cloud Encryption Feature from the UK Following the Backdoor Order

Key Takeaways

• Apple has discontinued its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature for UK users after the government demanded backdoor access to encrypted iCloud data.
• The UK law allows authorities to monitor online data, forcing Apple to either comply or stop offering encryption. The company chose to withdraw the feature instead of compromising global security.
• Apple emphasized its commitment to user privacy and clarified that it has not created a backdoor. The encryption feature remains available in other countries.

Apple dropped its standout data security encryption feature for UK users after the government demanded backdoor access to user data stored on the cloud.

Apple, of course, is known for being privacy-conscious. Its Advanced Data Protection feature, launched in 2022, made it possible to ensure airtight security, as only the users have access to their data on their trusted devices. Not even the company could get their hands on it.

It was an opt-in feature and worked on all the data stored in iCloud photos, files, notes, etc. Users who didn't need this kind of protection could simply opt out of it, which will apparently be the only option for British users now.

The problem, however, with this feature was that it made the conversations and everything else almost too hard for the government to track. The UK's argument, therefore, is that the feature makes it easier for criminals and illegal launderers to communicate and make malicious plans outside of government monitoring.

It's also worth noting that the UK has had issues with end-to-end encryption since the day it was launched. It finally gave an ultimatum to the tech giant to either give them access to the data saved on the cloud or let go of their users in that country.

Apple's Conundrum

While losing the UK market would have been a huge blow for Apple, there was no way it would compromise on its USP and put the data of not just UK users, but everyone else too, at stake for saving it.

Agreeing to give backdoor access to the UK government could invite potential hackers to exploit this window and get access to user data for criminal activity. This would put Apple's overall security in a compromising position. So, the company decided to opt for the next best alternative: removing encryption services in the UK.

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

The announcement was made on Friday that the Advanced Data Protection encryption feature will no longer be available to new users. The feature will soon be wiped off from existing devices as well.

What This Means from the Security Front for the UK

While reduced security is the obvious consequence of this update, it's important to note that the notice served to Apple for providing a backdoor access to user data was in line with the UK's Investigatory Powers Act of 2016.

This law gives British spies official authority to snoop on the online data of its citizens, including citizens outside the country. Moreover, it gives permission for internet eavesdropping and harvesting data for furthering the authorities' own purposes. Whether this is on the right or wrong side of morality, I leave it up to you to decide.

Even more concerning is the fact that the notices sent by this organization cannot even be publicly reported to the media, which is why Apple had to keep the reason under wraps when it removed data security features in the UK.

The tech leader, however, made it a point to clarify that it still remains committed to offering the highest level of security to its users and has not agreed to build a back door of any sort. The feature shall continue to be operational in other parts of the world.

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