Recently, UK officials are said to have requested Apple to create a backdoor allowing them access to all data on iPhones. And yep, this means unrestricted access to encrypted data and not just assistance with specific accounts. If implemented, it may threaten Apple’s privacy-centric approach for its iPhone users.
Now, US lawmakers have gotten outraged by the demand, and want the UK to drop it. Both Republican and Democrat committee members are said to claim that the UK’s demand may jeopardize Americans.
Let’s see why. For one, there’s always the possibility that malicious users can gain access to the iOS backdoor. And even if they won’t be (which is slightly unrealistic, as you know, the bad guys are always one step ahead, or several, of the good guys) the UK government would still be able to read previously encrypted data from any user, including users in the US.
Apple’s Advanced Data Protection for iCloud may be at risk for UK users. | Image Credit – Apple
Bipartisan members of the congressional oversight have now reportedly written to Tulsi Gabbard, the new National Intelligence Direction, about the issue.
According to the report, Ron Wyden, a Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Andy Biggs, a Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, have asked Gabbard to demand the UK to revoke its order.
The lawmakers reportedly underline that if Apple is forced to build a backdoor in Apple devices’ software, it would undermine the security of American data. But not just that – it would jeopardize also the privacy of several federal, state, and local agencies that trust Apple products with sensitive or confidential information.
On top of that, they have reportedly called the order “effectively a foreign cyberattack waged through political means”.
Of course, the UK has not confirmed (nor denied) the existence of the demand in the first place. In fact, under British law, the UK government is allowed to compel companies to provide “technical cooperation”, and said companies are not allowed to disclose anything they have been asked.
Before you get too concerned, Apple can appeal the order, and most likely it’s already working on that. However, in theory, the Cupertino giant has to comply with the demand, as delaying a response while an appeal is underway is not allowed.
Back in 2024, following a Parliamentary debate that gave the UK this authority, Apple reportedly objected. The Cupertino giant has previously threatened to remove services it offers in the UK if the privacy and security of users isn’t respected, and it’s likely a similar thing could be the outcome here: probably Apple may remove Advanced Data Protection, the iPhone’s iCloud encryption, in the UK.
So far, Director Gabbard has not replied publicly to the lawmakers’ letter. If implemented, the UK’s demand will set a precedent: this hasn’t been done so far with Android phones and other big tech companies. The UK did put pressure on Meta last year over introducing encryption to Facebook Messenger, but this one here seems a more extreme version.
