The UK government demands Apple to create a data backdoor, Apple retaliates: New iCloud users in the UK will disable ADP data protection service

The UK government has ordered Apple to establish a backdoor for customer data, and Apple responded on Friday by announcing that its advanced end-to-end encryption service, "Advanced Data Protection" (ADP), will no longer be supported for new iCloud users in the UK.

Analysis suggests that this move affects iCloud data storage, device backups, web bookmarks, voice memos, notes, photos, reminders, and SMS backups. According to media reports, this change will impact the data security of UK users.

The ADP end-to-end encryption scheme ensures that only the user can decrypt the data, and even Apple cannot access it. Apple stated in a declaration,

"In light of the increasingly serious data breaches and other threats to customer privacy, we are extremely disappointed that ADP cannot be offered to our customers in the UK. ADP protects iCloud data through end-to-end encryption, meaning that data can only be decrypted by the user who owns it and can only be decrypted on devices they trust."

Two weeks ago, reports indicated that the UK government had ordered Apple to establish a backdoor for customer data globally. In response, Apple described this move as "an unprecedented overreach by the government" and stated that "the UK government may attempt to secretly veto new user protection measures globally, thereby preventing us from providing these protections to our customers."

Currently, UK users using ADP need to manually disable this feature within an unspecified grace period to maintain normal use of their iCloud accounts. Apple stated that it would provide additional guidance to affected users.

Media analysis indicates that compared to establishing a backdoor as required by the government, Apple's direct removal of the encryption feature appears to be an attempt to appease UK regulators, but it will be seen as a "clear rebuttal" to the government order, a move that may not satisfy UK regulators.

Apple stated on Friday:

"Enhancing the security of cloud storage through end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever, and the company remains committed to providing the highest level of personal data security protection for users, hoping to achieve this goal in the UK in the future."

"As we have stated many times, we have never built a backdoor or master key into any product or service, and we will never do so."

Currently, if UK users attempt to enable ADP, they will receive a prompt on their devices stating, "Apple cannot provide 'Advanced Data Protection' (ADP) to new users in the UK."

According to the UK government's order to Apple, UK authorities not only demand access to global user data but also require Apple to provide access under the country's Investigatory Powers Act. This law grants the government the power to compel companies to disable or circumvent encryption measures globally through a Technical Capability Notice The law also stipulates that when the government makes such requests, the relevant companies must not disclose this information to the public