Apple says it will remove services such as FaceTime and iMessage from the UK rather than weaken security if new proposals are made law and acted upon.

Axar.az reports that the government is seeking to update the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) 2016.

It wants messaging services to clear security features with the Home Office before releasing them to customers.

The act lets the Home Office demand security features be disabled, without telling the public. Under the update, this would have to be immediate.

Currently, there has to be a review, there can also be an independent oversight process and a technology company can appeal before taking any action.

Because of the secrecy surrounding these demands, little is known about how many have been issued and whether they have been complied with.

But many messaging services currently offer end-to-end encryption - so messages can be unscrambled by only the devices sending and receiving them.