Apple removes cloud encryption feature in UK after backdoor access order

Apple Inc. is removing its most advanced, end-to-end encrypted security feature for cloud data in the United Kingdom, in a stunning development after the government ordered the company to build a backdoor for accessing user data.

The company said Friday that Advanced Data Protection, an optional feature that adds end-to-end encryption — a stronger form of security — to a wide assortment of user data is no longer available in the UK for new users.