The ongoing negotiations between Apple and the UK have escalated. According to emerging reports, the tech giant has issued a warning to the UK government. It has demanded that the legislation it is negotiating be withdrawn. The company said it could shut down FaceTime and iMessage, citing privacy concerns.

FaceTime and iMessage could be removed in the UK

The Investigatory Powers Act, which was first passed in 2016, is at odds with Apple’s privacy policy. It requires Apple to notify the Home Office before introducing new security features for its messaging services. The Home Office will also have the right to disable any security features it wishes.

Apple found these changes to the law unacceptable. It said it currently deals with the Foreign Office on all data protection issues and is under no obligation to open up its messaging apps to the Home Office unless ordered to do so by a court.

Apple has said it will not be able to apply UK-specific rules to messaging services such as FaceTime and iMessage. The company believes the change in the law could jeopardise data security for users around the world.

Many services like iMessage and FaceTime use end-to-end encryption. This prevents even service providers from accessing messages. The new legislation gives the Home Office the power to demand the removal of encryption.

Rather than back down, Apple has said it may withdraw its apps from the UK. If there is no partnership between the UK and Apple, iMessage and FaceTime could be suspended in the country.