Not a narc Apple pulls data protection tool instead of caving to UK demand for a backdoor Apple abruptly yanks privacy tool in UK, taking bold stance against snooping law. Ashley Belanger Feb 21, 2025 11:40 am | 4 Credit: georgeclerk | iStock Unreleased Credit: georgeclerk | iStock Unreleased Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAfter the United Kingdom demanded that Apple create a backdoor that would allow government officials globally to spy on encrypted data, Apple decided to simply turn off encryption services in the UK rather than risk exposing its customers to snooping.Apple had previously allowed end-to-end encryption of data on UK devices through its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) tool, but that ended Friday, a spokesperson said in a lengthy statement."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," Apple said.The UK Investigatory Powers Act has been dubbed a "Snooper's Charter," the Financial Times reported, granting the UK government powers to "access the encrypted data of Apple customers anywhere in the world, including in the US."According to Apple, complying with the UK law could have enabled not just government officials but also bad actors to gain access to encrypted data. Critics, including the US tech industry group, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, had further warned that the recent Salt Typhoon breach had made it clear that "end-to-end encryption may be the only safeguard standing between Americans' sensitive personal and business data and foreign adversaries.""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," Apple said. "Enhancing the security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever before."For UK Apple users, some data can still be encrypted. iCloud Keychain and Health, iMessage, and FaceTime will remain end-to-end encrypted by default. But other iCloud services will not be encrypted, effective immediately, including iCloud Backup, iCloud Drive, Photos, Notes, Reminders, Safari Bookmarks, Siri Shortcuts, Voice memos, Wallet passes, and Freeform.In the future, Apple hopes to restore data protections in the UK, but the company refuses to ever build a backdoor for government officials."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," Apple said. "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."Ashley BelangerSenior Policy ReporterAshley BelangerSenior Policy Reporter Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience. 4 Comments