Apple has announced it will withdraw its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) service from UK customers following requests from the Home Office to access encrypted user data. Here's what this major privacy change means for Apple users in Britain.
What's changing?
- New UK customers can no longer sign up for Advanced Data Protection
- Existing UK ADP users will lose access at an unspecified future date
- Standard iCloud encryption remains unchanged for non-ADP users
Understanding Advanced Data Protection
Advanced Data Protection is an optional security feature that provides end-to-end encryption for iCloud data including backups, photos, notes, and voice memos. With ADP enabled, only the user can access their encrypted data - even Apple cannot view or retrieve it.
This differs from Apple's standard encryption, where the company maintains the ability to access user data and can provide it to law enforcement with a valid warrant.
Impact on UK Users
If you haven't enabled ADP, your iCloud security remains unchanged with standard encryption. However, you no longer have the option to upgrade to end-to-end encryption through ADP.
For existing ADP users in the UK, Apple will remove this enhanced protection at an undisclosed date. The company hasn't revealed how many British customers will be affected.
Why This Matters
Security experts warn this could set a concerning precedent. Graeme Stewart from Check Point notes that while standard data access still requires legal warrants, other governments may follow the UK in demanding "backdoor" access to encrypted cloud storage.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that creating such access would introduce vulnerabilities affecting users worldwide. Apple maintains its position against building backdoors, stating it has "never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products, and we never will."