Apple is developing a new encryption system to prevent hackers from accessing iCloud data.

 

As the company continues to develop new privacy protections for millions of iPhone users, Apple Inc. AAPL -1.38% decrease; red down-pointing triangle plans to significantly expand its data-encryption practices. This move is likely to cause friction with law enforcement and governments around the world.

The majority of the information stored in iCloud, an Apple service used by many of its users to store photos, back up their iPhones, or save specific device data like Notes and Messages, would remain secure thanks to the expanded end-to-end encryption system, an optional feature called Advanced Data Protection. In the event that Apple is breached, the data would be secured and would not be available to law enforcement, not even with a warrant.

While Apple has previously come under fire for being unable to assist organizations like the Federal Bureau of Investigation access data on its encrypted iPhones, the company has been successful in providing much of the data saved in iCloud backups in response to a legitimate legal request. According to the business, it handled hundreds of these requests in the U.S. every year.

Apple would no longer be able to technically abide by certain law-enforcement requests, such as for iCloud backups, which could contain iMessage chat logs and attachments and have been used in numerous investigations.