UK Users Lose Access to Apple's End-to-End iCloud Encryption Following Government Ord

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Apple has announced the discontinuation of its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature for iCloud users in the United Kingdom, effective February 21, 2025. This decision comes in response to a government order under the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which mandates that companies provide backdoor access to encrypted data for law enforcement purposes. Apple has consistently maintained its stance against creating such backdoors, emphasizing its commitment to user privacy and data security. In a statement, the company expressed disappointment, stating, "We have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will."

Advanced Data Protection, introduced in December 2022, offers users the option to enable end-to-end encryption for a broader range of iCloud data, including backups, photos, and notes. With this feature, only devices trusted by the user could decrypt the data, rendering it inaccessible to Apple or any third party. The removal of ADP means that new users in the UK will no longer have the option to enable this enhanced encryption, and existing users will be required to disable the feature to continue using iCloud services.

Despite the withdrawal of ADP, certain data categories will continue to benefit from end-to-end encryption by default. These include health information, passwords stored in iCloud Keychain, and communications via iMessage and FaceTime. However, other data types such as iCloud backups, photos, and notes will revert to standard encryption, which allows Apple to access and, if required by law, provide this data to authorities.

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