March 4 (Reuters) - Apple ( AAPL ) has appealed a

British government order to create a "back door" in its most

secure cloud storage systems, the Financial Times reported on

Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The iPhone maker removed its most advanced security

encryption for cloud data, called Advanced Data Protection

(ADP), in Britain last month, in what was an unprecedented

response to government demands for access to user data.

That means Apple ( AAPL ) can access iCloud backups in certain cases

that it otherwise could not, such as copies of iMessages, and

hand it over to authorities if legally compelled. With

end-to-end encryption enabled, even Apple ( AAPL ) could not access the

data.

Governments and tech giants have long been locked in a

battle over strong encryption to protect consumers'

communications, which the authorities view as an obstacle to

mass surveillance and crime fighting programs. But Britain's

demands are seen as particularly sweeping.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week likened the UK

government's demand to "something that you hear about with

China," in an interview with The Spectator political magazine.

FT said Apple ( AAPL ) appealed against the order last month around

the same time as it withdrew ADP from the UK, rather than comply

with the technical capability notice it received from the

Investigatory Powers Tribunal in January.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal did not immediately

respond to requests for comment, while Apple ( AAPL ) declined to

comment.

A spokesperson for Britain's Home Office declined to

comment, but said that privacy "is only impacted on an

exceptional basis in relation to the most serious crimes and

only when it is necessary".

Reuters reported last week that U.S. officials were

investigating whether Britain violated a bilateral pact by

reportedly pressuring Apple ( AAPL ) to create a "back door" for

government access to encrypted cloud backups.

The move could breach the CLOUD Act, which bars the UK

from issuing demands for the data of U.S. citizens and vice

versa.