How Apple’s removal of Advanced Data Protection affects you
The UK government recently sparked a row with Apple when it demanded the right to access user data protected by the Advanced Data Protection (ADP) tool.
Apple itself cannot access this data and refused to put in a ‘backdoor’ that it says would compromise the security of the system. Instead, the tech giant has taken the unprecedented step of removing access to ADP from customers in the UK altogether.
Advanced Data Protection is a data protection tool designed to provide greater security for users of iPhones and other Apple devices. Apple user data such as photos and voice notes are already protected by encryption as standard. ADP increases this protection by providing ‘end-to-end’ encryption, which means only the user can access the data.
It’s worth noting that ADP is an opt-in service. If you had not actively turned on ADP, you would see no difference in how your data is handled and protected. Your iCloud data will still be encrypted, but you will no longer have the option to enable ADP for end-to-end encryption and protection.
Apple has also said that in the UK, individuals already using APD will lose access to it at a later date, although it has not specified when that will happen. The company said in a statement that it was ‘deeply disappointed’ that UK customers would lose access to ADP, especially given ‘the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy’.