Apple has removed its strongest iCloud data protection for customers in the UK, as a refusal to comply with a government order demanding backdoor access to user data.

Security officials argue that encryption hinders criminal investigations, while tech firms defend it as essential to user privacy.

There has been a fierce backlash to the request from privacy campaigners and US politicians.

Apple is scrapping its most advanced security encryption feature for cloud data in Britain, the company said on Friday, an unprecedented response to government demands for access to user data.

If you want your iCloud data to be as well-protected as possible, you need to turn on Advanced Data Protection (ADP)— but that's no longer going to be an option in the UK. Apple is pulling ADP from the country,

No matter how deep you are in Apple's 'ecosystem,’ there are ways to stay encrypted in the UK Apple customers, privacy advocates, and security sleuths have now had the weekend to stew over the news of the iGadget maker's decision to bend to the UK government and disable its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature.

A Blow to Digital Privacy and Human Rights Apple’s decision to withdraw Advanced Data Protection in the UK has sparked significant concerns about digital privacy, surveillance, and data security. While

Apple will remove its highest level of data protection from UK iPhones after the British government reportedly demanded it have access to user data. The feature, called Advanced Data Protection (ADP),