The move comes after British security authorities requested backdoor access to encrypted materials, the Washington Post said.
Apple says it will stop offering advanced data security options to UK users after the government demands that the government provide backdoor access to data it stores in the cloud.
The iPhone maker said on Friday that new UK users will no longer be able to access advanced data protection encryption capabilities, ultimately disabling existing users.
Advanced Data Protection, which Apple began rolling out at the end of 2022, is an opt-in feature that protects iCloud files, photos, notes and other data with end-to-end encryption when stored in the cloud.
British security officials have requested that the US tech giant create so-called backdoor access and be able to view fully encrypted material, the Washington Post added an anonymous source earlier this month. It was reported by quoting.
Apple “will no longer be able to provide advanced data protection” in the UK, the company said in a statement.
“Given the continued rise in data breaches and other threats to customer privacy, we are seriously disappointed that the protections provided by ADP are not available to UK customers,” said government demand. Without mentioning it, Apple said.
According to a report by the Washington Post, the UK government has ordered Apple to provide access under a drastic law called the Investigative Power Act of 2016, Snoopers It is called the Charter of
The law officially provides the ability for British spies to hack into their devices and harvest large quantities of online data. Most of them come from outside the UK. This includes provisions to force businesses to remove encryption and enable electronic eavesdropping, but it is a criminal act to make it clear that the government has issued such a request. I’m here.
“We have not commented on operational issues, such as confirming or denying the existence of such notices,” the UK said. The Home Office said in a brief statement.
“Reducing security”
Apple did not reveal that many users in the UK use advanced data protection. It says the feature is still available to users all over the world.
Apple says that some types of data are end-to-end encrypted in the UK by default, including passwords on the iCloud keychain, health app information, and communications about services such as iMessage and FaceTime. .
End-to-end encryption means that messages are scrambled so that only the sender and recipient can see them. If someone else intercepts a message, all they see is Garbel, which is not registered without a key.
Mike Chapple, IT professor at the University of Notre Dame, University of Mendoza, said the episode “is one of the fundamental flaws in government efforts to undermine encryption.” Chapple, a former computer scientist at the National Security Agency, faces companies like Apple having to choose between security, and companies like Apple will remove security features entirely. He said there is a trend.
“The net effect reduces security for everyone. If other governments follow the UK’s lead, we risk a future where strong encryption is functionally prohibited.