US tech giant Apple has removed its highest level of data security from British customers in a row with the government which risks further damaging relations with President Trump, reports The Times.
Users of Apple’s services in the UK will no longer have the “advanced data protection” (ADP) tool, which protects photos or documents from being accessed by anyone other than the account holder. Here’s an extract:
Earlier this month, the Home Office demanded blanket access to view fully encrypted material uploaded by anyone worldwide on to Apple’s iCloud software under new evidence-collection powers.
Apple has long opposed creating a “back door” in its encryption service, and has instead opted for switching off ADP entirely for British customers. The service became available in December 2022.
The tech giant said it was “gravely disappointed that the protections provided by ADP will not be available to our customers in the UK given the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy”.
The decision comes just days before Sir Keir Starmer travels to Washington to meet Trump amid a growing rift between the UK and the US on regulation of tech companies.
JD Vance, the US vice-president, warned European leaders at the AI summit in Paris this month that the Trump administration was “troubled” that foreign governments were “tightening the screws on US tech companies with international footprints”.
Trump has increasingly sided with the concerns of US-based big tech companies over regulation and enforcement in Europe.
Other platforms, including the messaging service WhatsApp, which uses end-to-end encryption, have said that they would rather withdraw from the UK market than comply with legal orders — such as those issued to Apple — to access customers’ data.
However, intelligence and law-enforcement agencies have welcomed the government’s hardline approach, warning that otherwise child abusers and terrorists can act with impunity online.
In a statement, Apple said: “Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the United Kingdom to new users and current UK users will eventually need to disable this security feature.
“ADP protects iCloud data with end-to-end encryption, which means the data can only be decrypted by the user who owns it, and only on their trusted devices. We are gravely disappointed that the protections provided by ADP will not be available to our customers in the UK.
“Enhancing the security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever before. Apple remains committed to offering our users the highest level of security for their personal data and are hopeful that we will be able to do so in the future in the United Kingdom.
“As we have said many times before, we have never built a back door or master key to any of our products or services and we never will.”
Tech companies and British law enforcement have long clashed over active and proposed measures under the Investigatory Powers Act and the Online Safety Act.
Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp for Meta, warned last week that “if the UK forces a global back door into Apple’s security … [it] risks putting all of us in danger and it should be stopped”.
Matthew Sinclair, from the Computer and Communications Industry Association, said: “Weakening encryption for the sensitive personal data that British consumers have on their phones is a worrying step backwards. Ministers should step in urgently and ensure that the UK does not stand out as the weak link in international efforts to promote safety and security online.”
Rebecca Vincent, from Big Brother Watch, the privacy campaign group, said the decision was the “regrettable consequence” of an “outrageous order” from the Home Office.
She added: “From today Apple’s UK customers are less safe and secure than they were yesterday — and this will quickly prove to have much wider implications for internet users in the UK.”
Worth reading in full.
