"All the UK government has achieved is to weaken online security"
Apple is removing its highest-level data security tool from UK customers after the government demanded access to user data.
Advanced Data Protection (ADP) ensures only account holders can access their stored photos and documents through end-to-end encryption.
Earlier in February 2025, the UK government asked for access to the data, which even Apple cannot currently view.
Apple has consistently opposed creating a “backdoor” in its encryption, arguing that bad actors would eventually exploit it.
The company did not comment at the time but has now decided to block ADP activation in the UK.
This means not all UK customer data stored on iCloud will be fully encrypted.
In a statement, the Home Office said: “We do not comment on operational matters, including for example confirming or denying the existence of any such notices.”
Apple said it was “gravely disappointed” that British customers would lose access to the feature.
The tech giant said: “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.”
ADP is opt-in, meaning users must enable it.
From 3 pm on February 21, UK users attempting to turn it on saw an error message. Existing users will lose access later.
It is unclear how many people signed up for ADP since its UK launch in December 2022.
Professor Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert at Surrey University, said the decision was “very disappointing” and “an act of self-harm” by the government.
He said: “All the UK government has achieved is to weaken online security and privacy for UK-based users.
“It was naïve of the UK government to think they could tell a US technology company what to do globally.”
The request came under the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), which compels firms to share information with law enforcement.
Privacy campaigners called it an “unprecedented attack” on individuals’ private data.
Two senior US politicians said it was such a serious threat to American national security that the US should reconsider its intelligence-sharing agreements with the UK unless it was withdrawn.
It is unclear whether Apple’s actions will fully address those concerns, as the IPA order applies worldwide and ADP remains available in other countries.
Apple said it regretted taking this step.
It said:
“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 future in the UK.”
The row comes amid growing US resistance to foreign regulation of its tech sector.
At the AI Action Summit in Paris in early February, US Vice President JD Vance said the US was increasingly concerned.
He said: “The Trump administration is troubled by reports that some foreign governments are considering tightening the screws on US tech companies with international footprints.”
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