The Uk’s War On Apple Encryption Is Back

The UK authorities is reportedly erstwhile again demanding that Apple supply it pinch backdoor entree to encrypted iCloud personification data, pursuing claims that nan effort had been abandoned successful August. The Financial Times reports that a caller method capacity announcement (TCN) was issued by nan UK Home Office successful early September, this clip specifically targeting entree to British citizens’ iCloud backups.

This follows nan UK issuing a broader concealed bid successful January, demanding that Apple create a backdoor for information officials to entree world encrypted personification files. While it’s a criminal discourtesy to uncover nan beingness of these secret TCN orders, Apple responded by filing an entreaty and removing a feature, Advanced Data Protection, its end-to-end encrypted iCloud storage, from nan UK. After facing unit from nan US regarding imaginable violations of nan Cloud Act, it was announced by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that Britain had rescinded nan order.

“The UK has agreed to driblet its instruction for Apple to supply a ‘back door’ that would person enabled entree to nan protected encrypted information of American citizens and encroached connected our civilian liberties,” Gabbard posted to X connected August 19th. While US officials raised concerns astir nan bid during President Trump’s authorities sojourn to nan UK past month, according to The Financial Times, nan publication reports that 2 elder British authorities figures said nan UK was nary longer facing US unit to driblet its demands.

We person reached retired to Apple for comment. The UK Home Office declined to remark connected nan situation.

The UK’s revived effort to bypass Apple’s information encryption has sparked concerns that information and privateness whitethorn still beryllium impacted for users worldwide. “If Apple breaks end-to-end encryption for nan UK, it breaks it for everyone,” said Privacy International, a non-profit privateness watchdog. “The resulting vulnerability tin beryllium exploited by dispute states, criminals and different bad actors nan world over.”