London, Feb. 21 -- In a move that has sparked widespread concern, Apple has announced that it will no longer offer end-to-end encryption for iCloud users in the United Kingdom, TechCrunch reported.

The decision comes after the UK government reportedly ordered Apple to build a backdoor into its cloud servers, allowing authorities to access encrypted data.

Apple's Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature, which provided end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups, will no longer be available to new users in the UK. Existing users will eventually be required to disable the feature to continue using iCloud.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz expressed disappointment and said the company's Advanced Data Protection featur...