Apple has disabled the advanced data protection in the encryption feature for new users. Apple has taken this big step after the order of the UK government. According to the government's order, the company should create a backdoor through which the user's data can be accessed. What is this feature of Apple and how does it work? Read full details about it below.
Advanced Data Protection is a feature that offers end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups. This ensures that no one except you, not even Apple, can access your data.
Talking about what is Advanced Data Protection and how it works, Apple introduced the Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature as part of iOS 16.2 in early 2023. This brought end-to-end encryption to iCloud for the first time. Earlier, end-to-end encryption was not provided in iCloud backup. This was a topic of controversy among privacy advocates and experts.
Cloud backups of the Messages app were a major concern, as Apple could be forced by law to hand over the data to agencies. While conversations in Messages were end-to-end encrypted, backups of those conversations were not. Simply put, if the police wanted access to those backups, they could gain access to the texts.
According to a Reuters report, Apple dropped plans to encrypt backups after the FBI complained about it. But Apple managed to launch the encryption feature for iCloud backups for users around the world.
Apple expressed its displeasure over the removal of ADP protection. The company said that this was an extra security layer. However, now UK users will not get the benefit of this. This decision has increased the risk of users' data being stolen.
