Apple Pulls iCloud Encryption Feature Following UK Government Demands

Apple is withdrawing its Advanced Data Protection tool from the UK, leaving iCloud users without the highest level of encryption the company currently offers. The move comes just weeks after reports emerged that the British government was pressuring Apple to create a backdoor into its encrypted services for law enforcement and spying purposes. ADP is an opt-in security tool, which provides end-to-end encryption for iCloud services to those who want it. The UK's Home Office had refused to confirm or deny whether it made a request to Apple to turn it off, but the company has made it clear that's not a decision that it wanted to take. Apple is "gravely disappointed" that it will no longer be able to offer ADP to UK users, especially given "the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy," said a company spokesperson in a statement. "Enhancing the security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever before." The decision is "the regret ... Read full article.