According to Apple, new users will no longer be able to use its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the UK, and existing users will eventually have to disable the feature. ADP is a security measure that extends end-to-end encryption across a variety of cloud data.
With this change, end-to-end encryption will no longer be included in British iCloud backups, enabling Apple to access user data that would normally be protected— like iMessage—and provide it to law enforcement upon request, Reuters reported.
The decision followed the UK Home Office's request to disable the feature under the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), which requires businesses to hand over information to law enforcement agencies. Apple previously spoke out against the request but ultimately decided to comply. The announcement has sparked widespread backlash, both in the UK and the United States.
Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert at Surrey University, told the BBC that the UK government is harming its citizens, saying this has been a "very disappointing development."
"All the UK government has achieved is to weaken online security and privacy for UK-based users," he said, explaining that he believes the move was "naive" of the UK to think they have the power to tell a UK technology company how to run a business.
Several US lawmakers described the change as an "unprecedented" threat to US national security and asked National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard to intervene and order the UK government to "back down from this dangerous attack on US cybersecurity, or face serious consequences."
