Apple Inc. has announced the suspension of its most advanced cloud data encryption feature, Advanced Data Protection, for users in the United Kingdom, citing government demands for access to user data.
The decision, confirmed by Apple on Friday, marks an unprecedented shift in the tech giant’s stance on user privacy.
Advanced Data Protection, introduced in 2022, extends end-to-end encryption across a wide range of cloud-stored data, ensuring even Apple cannot access user information such as iMessage backups. However, as of Friday, new users in the UK attempting to activate the feature will receive an error message, while existing users will eventually be required to disable the service.