Apple is disabling its strongest data security feature, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), for users in the UK due to government pressures for increased access to encrypted user data. ADP enables end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for services like iCloud backups, photos, notes, and messages, ensuring that only the user can decrypt their data—Apple itself cannot access or recover it, even under government compulsion.
The removal of this feature allows UK authorities greater access to iCloud data, signaling a significant shift in Apple's stance on privacy. This move is likely in response to the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) 2016, also known as the Snoopers' Charter, which seeks to mandate that tech companies provide law enforcement with access to encrypted communications, essentially forcing the creation of a ‘backdoor’ for government surveillance.
While Apple has previously opposed such mandates, claiming that they would weaken global security, it has now preemptively disabled ADP in the UK to avoid legal pressure to compromise its encryption standards. In its statement, Apple reiterated that it has never created a backdoor or master key for its products and never will.
As a result, UK users concerned about security may turn to third-party encryption tools, local backups, or VPNs. Meanwhile, UK lawmakers and security agencies have long criticized end-to-end encryption, arguing that it enables criminals and terrorists to communicate and store data outside of government oversight.
This decision also raises the possibility of broader consequences for privacy, especially since the iPhone holds a 52.29% market share in the UK as of January 2025, and any significant change in security practices could spark global debates on government surveillance and data protection
