On Friday, Apple confirmed it is “no longer able to” include security features that allow UK users to encrypt iCloud data.
In a statement provided to TechCrunch, Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz said the company's advanced data protection capabilities will no longer be available to new users, and current UK users say “The security features will ultimately be the last one.” “It must be disabled.”
“Given the continued rise in data breaches and other threats to customer privacy, we are seriously disappointed that the protections offered by ADP are not available to customers in the UK,” the company said.
“Enhanced security in cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever,” the statement said.
Screenshot of messages Apple displays to UK users after Apple disables the option to turn on end-to-end encrypted iCloud.image credits: TechCrunch
The announcement will build a backdoor to Apple earlier this year that allows “blanket” access to user data stored on Apple's cloud servers, even if it is end-to-end encrypted. It is reportedly ordered to do so. This demand is considered unprecedented in modern democracy, and wary of privacy and security experts and sets precedents that authoritarian countries should follow if the UK government wins I insisted.
Apple offers users the option to turn on end-to-end encrypted iCloud backups through advanced data protection. This feature effectively makes it impossible for anyone, including Apple and government authorities, to view the data stored on iCloud.
A UK Home Office spokesman did not immediately respond to TechCrunch's request for comment.
Apple didn't immediately say how the process of disabling ADP would work for users who already turned it on by Friday.
“The actions of the Home Office have deprived millions of British people of access to security features. As a result, British citizens have been stolen.,” said James Baker, who works for the Open Rights Group, a digital rights group in the UK. There is a greater risk that personal data and family photographs will fall into the hands of criminals and predators.”
According to Apple, some types of data, including health data, messages stored in iCloud, and encrypted payment information by default, end-to-end, by default, for all users, are not affected by this change. He said it would remain encrypted to everyone. However, UK users cannot use end-to-end encryption for other types of data, such as photos, notes, backups and other data encrypted under ADP.
For those already enabling ADP, Apple said it would provide guidance to its customers immediately and a period of time to disable the ability to continue using iCloud.
ADP is not affected by users outside the UK, Apple says, and end-to-end encrypted communication services like FaceTime and Imessage are also not affected.
“As I said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or a master key for our products or services.
BBC News reported that ADP has stopped being an option for new users starting at 3pm UK time on Friday. TechCrunch also confirmed that ADP is no longer an option for new users in the UK.
Since the rise of encryption in the mid-1990s, governments around the world have argued that this data scrambling technology allows criminals and terrorists to break the law while avoiding law enforcement. Over the years, authorities have always found ways to directly access data on people's devices, from accessing unencrypted backups to using spyware.
“If you're not in the UK, you need to turn on ADP right now,” Matthew Green, a cryptographic expert and teacher at Johns Hopkins University, wrote to X in response to the news.
“The more people use it, the more difficult it will be to stop this method,” Green said.
The ninth paragraph clarified the format of data that is protected under advanced data protection.
The story has been updated to include a statement from James Baker.