Apple is disabling its most advanced security encryption feature for cloud data in Britain, the company announced on Friday. The move marks an unprecedented response to government demands for access to user data and affects a feature called Advanced Data Protection (ADP), which extends end-to-end encryption across iCloud backups.
As of Friday, new users in Britain can no longer enable ADP, and those who attempt to do so will receive an error message. Existing users will eventually be required to disable the feature. This change means iCloud backups in Britain will lose the highest level of encryption, allowing Apple to access certain user data—including iMessages—if legally compelled.
The decision follows Britain’s issuance of a Technical Capability Notice (TCN) under the broad Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which allows law enforcement to require firms to assist in evidence collection. While such notices do not grant blanket access to users’ personal data, they enable authorities to compel tech companies to provide encrypted data when authorized.
Apple has long maintained that it would not create backdoors for encrypted services, citing security risks. “Ultimately, once a door exists, it’s only a matter of time before it’s found and used maliciously,” said cybersecurity professor Oli Buckley of Loughborough University.
Privacy advocates and security experts have criticized the UK’s push for access to encrypted data. Andrew Crocker, surveillance litigation director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the decision “leaves UK users at the mercy of bad actors and deprives them of a key privacy-preserving technology.” Meredith Whittaker, president of the encrypted messaging app Signal, condemned the move as “technically illiterate” and warned that it undermines cybersecurity foundations essential to a free society and the global economy.
Although Apple cannot disable ADP for existing users as it does not hold encryption keys, it will prompt them to turn off the feature manually. Meanwhile, encrypted data stored directly on Apple devices remains unaffected.
The development raises concerns about potential ripple effects, as similar laws in Australia and other Commonwealth countries may lead to comparable demands on tech companies. Privacy advocates fear this move could set a precedent for further government intrusions into encrypted communications worldwide.
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