Apple Pulls iCloud Encryption Feature Following UK Government Demands
Apple is withdrawing its advanced data protection tools from the UK, leaving iCloud users without the highest encryption the company currently offers. This move is reported that the British government is Put pressure on Apple to create a backdoor Encrypted services for law enforcement and espionage purposes.
ADP is an opt-in security tool that provides end-to-end encryption of iCloud services for those who want it. The UK home office declined to confirm or deny whether it had filed a request to shut it down, but the company made it clear that it was not the decision it wanted to make.
A company spokesperson said in a statement that Apple will not be able to provide ADP for UK users, especially “the continued growth of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy.” “Enhanced security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever.”
The decision was a “regretful consequence” of the Ministry of the Interior, forcing Apple to weaken security. “So, from today onwards, Apple’s UK customers are less secure than yesterday’s, which will soon prove to have a greater impact on Internet users in the UK,” she said.
Apple said it hopes to provide the highest level of encryption to iCloud users in the UK sometime in the future. But for now, any UK iCloud user trying to enable ADP will be answered a message starting today that the tool is unavailable. Over time, you will be told that you need to disable the feature (Apple can’t do this for them).
An Apple spokesman made it clear that this is different from providing backdoors to the government through encryption. “We never built back doors or master keys for any of our products or services, and we never would.”
ADP will still work outside the UK and can protect the following nine iCloud features: iCloud backup, iCloud drive, photos, notes, reminders, safari bookmarks, Siri shortcuts, voice memos, wallet passes, wallet passes and freeforms. Other key iPhone features including iMessage, FaceTime, iCloud Keychain and Apple Health continue to benefit from end-to-end encryption in the UK and elsewhere around the world.
