UK Government Mandates Apple to Create Backdoor for Data Access

CIOTechOutlook Team | Saturday, 08 February 2025, 05:14 IST

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In an order that might lead to one of the largest privacy disputes in the history of the iPhone manufacturer, the UK government has directed Apple Inc. to create a backdoor that would allow it access to customer data worldwide.

The requirement requires Apple to enable access in accordance with the UK's Investigatory Powers Act, which gave authorities the power to order businesses to disable encryption through a "technical capability notice." Additionally, the law prohibits companies from disclosing when the government has issued such an order.

“It’s an unprecedented overreach by the government and, if enacted, the UK could attempt to secretly veto new user protections globally preventing us from ever offering them to customers,” the company said.

The issue seems to be related to the 2022 launch of iCloud Advanced Data Protection, an optional feature that encrypts the majority of a user's iCloud account data, including backups of their devices and text messages.

For British consumers, Apple might disable the process as a workaround. Reports state that the development represents a major escalated conflict between technology corporations and Western governments that has been going on for years over encryption and access to customers' private data.

Apple has repeatedly fought government demands to make encryption weaker or harder to crack, arguing that doing so would compromise cybersecurity and privacy.

Authorities argue that access to user data is necessary for criminal and national security investigations.

Big tech companies including Apple, Microsoft Corp., and Alphabet Inc.'s Google have expressed concerns that UK authorities would compel them to install a "backdoor" in order to get around their encryption.

According to Apple, encryption is "critical to shielding everyday citizens from unlawful surveillance, identity theft, fraud, and data breaches, and it serves as an invaluable protection for journalists, human rights activists, and diplomats who may be targeted by malicious actors."

The company has defended the use of encryption in its products.

The UK government has regularly attacked messaging apps and social media sites for their use of robust encryption that blocks authorities from accessing private messages and other online content, claiming that this hinders the investigation of serious crimes like child sex exploitation and terrorism.

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