Apple Removes UK iCloud Encryption After Secret Order

Apple has decided to remove its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature, which provides end-to-end encryption for iCloud data, from the UK following demands by the UK government for access to encrypted data under the Investigatory Powers Act. This move marks Apple's response to a secret order requiring a backdoor for law enforcement access, which Apple has historically resisted, citing privacy concerns. Current UK users of ADP will eventually need to disable this feature, as Apple is unable to do so automatically due to the nature of end-to-end encryption. While Apple continues to assert its commitment to user privacy and security, this decision has been met with disappointment amid growing data breach threats. The decision has sparked criticism from privacy advocates who argue that creating backdoors undermines security and could be exploited by bad actors. Apple maintains that it has never built and will never build backdoors into its products.