Apple yanks privacy-enhancing feature in UK after facing 'secret' government order

• Apple is rolling back Advanced Data Protection from iPhones in the UK starting Friday.
• Without ADP, Apple and the UK government could decrypt iCloud data.
• The UK had issued a "secret order" for Apple to create a data backdoor, US congressmen warned.

Apple's highest level of security for iCloud data is set to be removed from iPhones in the UK in a rare move for the tech giant known for prioritizing privacy for its users.

Beginning Friday, new users in the UK won't have access to Advanced Data Protection (ADP), a tool that enables end-to-end encryption on devices. By removing it, they'll no longer have the option to make data only viewable by the account holder.

The data stored on iCloud could become accessible to Apple and the UK government. The decision comes after the UK government issued a "secret order" for Apple to create a backdoor to its users' data across the globe, US congressmen said in a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the Washington Post was first to report.

In a statement to Business Insider, Apple said it was "gravely disappointed" that it had to remove the protections for UK users.

Apple and the UK government could eventually be able to decrypt users' data, including photos, iCloud Drive, notes, and more. The iPhone maker made it clear, however, that the move is not creating a backdoor.

"As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will," Apple said.

In the letter from Ron Wyden, a Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Andy Biggs, a Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Gabbard was urged to stop the order from going through citing Americans' "right to privacy."

The British Home Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

ADP isn't enabled on iPhones by default, and Apple can't help the account holder recover their data once it's turned on. Although this added layer of protection for nine iCloud data categories won't be available in the UK, there are 14 data categories that are encrypted automatically. British users will still have encryption for iCloud Keychain, Health, and FaceTime.

Boosting security with end-to-end encryption is "more urgent than ever before," Apple said. In the statement, the company said it hopes to offer the "highest level of security" to UK users in the future.