Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row
Apple is taking unprecedented steps to remove its highest level of data security tools from the UK after the government requested access to user data.
Advanced Data Protection (ADP) means that only account holders can store items such as photos or documents online through a process called end-to-end encryption.
But early this month The British government requested For the right to view data, data that is currently inaccessible.
Apple did not comment at the time, but had been opposed to creating a “backdoor” in its crypto services and thought that if it did, then bad actors also found a way, and it was only a matter of time before.
Now, the tech giant has decided that it is no longer possible to activate ADP in the UK.
This means that there will be no UK customer data stored on iCloud – Apple’s cloud storage service – if there is an arrest warrant, Apple can all access through Apple and share it with law enforcement.
The BBC has contacted the government.
Apple said in a statement that it is “disappointing” that UK customers will no longer use security features.
It continues: “As we have said many times before, we have never built a back door or master key for any of our products, and we will never.”
On Friday, new users began providing ADP services to new users. Access to existing users will be disabled later.
Since being offered to Apple customers in the UK in December 2022, it is unknown how many people have signed up for ADP.
Professor Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Surrey, said it was a “very disappointing development” that amounted to “self-harm behavior” by the government.
“Everything that the British government has achieved has weakened the online security and privacy of UK users,” he told the BBC.
He added: “The British government is naive and thinks they can tell an American technology company what to do globally.”
The request was provided by the Department of the Interior under the Investigative Powers Act (IPA), which forces companies to provide information to law enforcement agencies.
Apple will not comment on the notice, and the Home Office refused to confirm or deny its existence, but the BBC and The Washington Post spoke with many sources familiar with the matter.
It has sparked backlash from privacy activists who call it an “unprecedented attack” on individuals’ private data.
two Senior American politicians say This is such a serious threat to U.S. national security that the U.S. government should reevaluate its intelligence-sharing agreement with the UK unless it is withdrawn.
It is not clear that Apple’s actions will fully address these issues, as the IPA commands are applicable globally and that ADP will continue to operate in other countries.
Apple said in a statement that it regrets the actions it has taken.
“Enhanced security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever,” it said.
“Apple remains committed to providing our users with the highest personal data security and hopes we will be able to do so in the UK in the future.”
The bank is emerging in the United States compared to regulations imposed on its technical departments from elsewhere.
In a speech at the AI Action Summit in Paris in early February, U.S. Vice President JD Vance made it clear that the United States is paying more and more attention to it.
“The Trump administration is bothered that some foreign governments are considering tightening screws of American tech companies with their international footprints,” he said.
