Apple is removing the option to enable Advanced Data Protection for iCloud users in the United Kingdom. This feature let users fully protect their data stored in iCloud with end-to-end encryption. However, a recent UK government order forces companies like Apple to put backdoors in its encryption systems.Rather than comply and compromise Advanced Data Protection, Apple is left with no choice but to remove the feature altogether. In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said that current users of ADP in the UK will eventually need to disable the security feature in order to keep using their iCloud account. Full statement after the break For UK users who have not previously enabled Advanced Data Protection, they will no longer have the option to do so. In the software set-up screens for Advanced Data Protection, an error message will be presented that says Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the United Kingdom to new users..You can see that new UI in action in this screenshot:For UK users with Advanced Data Protection currently active, Apple warns they will soon have to disable this feature to keep being able to use their iCloud account. Because of the end-to-end nature of the system, Apple cannot automatically do this. Apple will be releasing additional documentation soon to lay out the migration path for these customers. The company says it is gravely disappointed that it is having to take these steps. Heres the full statement from Apple: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 given the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy. 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 backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will.With end-to-encryption unavailable, it allows UK government agencies to subpoena Apple to access data from any iCloud account they please, without restriction. Under the regulations of the new law, Apple is not even allowed to tell its users when this happens. The law even seems to restrain Apple from publicly commenting on such implications; notice how the companys statement above does not explicitly say why Apple is having to make these changes.One outstanding question is how other subsystems of iCloud will be impacted. Even with Advanced Data Protection off, some iCloud features are always end-to-end encrypted. This includes features like the password keychain, data stored in Apple Health, Wi-Fi passwords, Safari history, and more. For now, these features remain available with their data stored in the same end-to-end encrypted manner, as always. Apple has not yet explicitly said what will happen with this going forward. From the outside, it would seem that those features currently stand in opposition to the UK governments legal position. Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel