Amazon.com plans to restore an encryption feature on its Fire tablets after privacy advocates criticized the company for removing the security option last fall, when it released its latest operating system. The company will return the option for full-disk encryption with a Fire OS update coming this spring.

Amazon said it had removed the feature in a version of its Fire OS that began shipping in the fall because few customers used it.

But Amazon's case got attention as it came to light a few days ago, while Apple is battling with the U.S. government over the encryption of the iPhones.