The government wants your data — here’s how to protect your privacy

These days, technology is everywhere. It is the foundation of our society. Keeping control over it is more important than ever before.

But lately, it seems like governments are becoming more bold in their attempts to influence innovation, and it’s starting to mess with the privacy, security and freedom that make innovation possible.

Take what’s happening with Apple in the United Kingdom. It just yanked its Advanced Data Protection feature for iCloud users over there. Why? Because the U.K.’s government was leaning on Apple hard, demanding more access to people’s data. It’s a bummer, too — it was one of the best encryption tools out there, keeping your personal data locked up tight.

Now it’s gone, all because the government wanted in.

It’s not just a random one-off, either — it’s part of a bigger problem. Big government meddling in tech across the industry like this chips away at the whole idea of privacy and security.

Apple’s move in the United Kingdom means iCloud’s Advanced Data Protection (end-to-end encryption), which kept your data safe from everyone (even Apple itself), is out the window. That feature was a big deal: your photos, messages and private notes were all locked by a local security chip so only you could access them.

Hackers? Nope. Apple? Nope. Just you. However, the U.K. government demanded a back door. Rather than give it one, Apple acquiesced by phasing out Advanced Data Protection for all U.K. iCloud users, making all Britons' data insecure.

This isn’t just a United Kingdom issue — if they can get Apple to ditch encryption, what’s stopping our government from trying the same? They’ve been itching for more access to our data for years.

You’ve probably heard this story before: U.S. law enforcement, like the FBI, keeps asking tech companies for “back doors” into encrypted data. They say it’s about catching bad guys and keeping us safe. Think back to the San Bernardino attack in 2015, when the FBI tried to make Apple unlock an iPhone. Law enforcement didn’t win that fight, but the pressure is still on. The United Kingdom pulling this move just proves how fast privacy can take a hit when national security is invoked.

If the U.S. follows suit, we’re in trouble.

From its inception, the U.S. has prioritized the privacy and security of its citizens. Our Constitution guarantees via the Fourth Amendment that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.”

Imagine if what happened in the U.K. happened here. For regular people like us, it would mean losing a big chunk of what keeps our digital lives and democracy secure. Encryption isn’t just tech jargon — it’s what lets you send a message or store a file without worrying about who’s peeking. Without it, we’re more vulnerable to snooping or hacking. And honestly, it’d suck to feel like you can’t trust the tools you use every day because the government wants a key to everything.

Tech companies wouldn’t have it easy either. Big names like Apple, Google and Microsoft have spent years building reputations on protecting users. Encryption is a huge part of that. If the government forces them to water it down, they’re stuck: either they cave and risk losing our trust, or they fight and maybe get locked out of markets they need.

The U.K. has already shown us how this plays out. Apple chose to ditch a core security feature to appease a government. That’s not a good look.

What concerns me also, though, is how this could kill innovation. Tech thrives when people are free to experiment, building new tools, dreaming up better security and pushing boundaries. When governments start drawing lines about what’s allowed, that freedom disappears. Developers get cautious, companies play it safe, and instead of bold new ideas, we get a bunch of “yes, sir” compliance.

That’s not how you stay ahead — it’s how you stall out.

The U.S. has always been the world’s leader in technology and innovation. We set the benchmark. But if we let privacy and individual sovereignty slip, we’re handing that edge away. The digital world is only getting bigger and more connected. If we want to keep our spot at the top (and protect everyone’s rights as individuals), we’ve got to hold the line.

The U.K.’s actions are a wake-up call. We’ve got to pay attention now, before the same thing happens over here. Freedom, security, privacy — they’re worth fighting for, especially in a world this connected.

If we don’t protect tech sovereignty today, we are going to regret it tomorrow.

Jeff Turner is the spokesperson for Americans for Tech Sovereignty.

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