- The United Kingdom agreed to eliminate its request from a rear door of encryption to Apple ICloud, according to the US National Intelligence Director.
- However, the power to undermine the encryption remains in the United Kingdom Law under the Law on Research Powers
- Apple killed the end -to -end encryption function of Icloud in the United Kingdom in February, and then challenged the order in court
The United Kingdom agreed to retreat its request to create a rear encryption door in the Apple ICloud system for the authorities to access.
The US National Intelligence Director, Tulsi Gabbard, confirmed the United Kingdom in a publication on an X on Monday, August 18, 2025, adding that such rear door “would have allowed access to the encrypted data protected from US citizens and invaded our civil liberations.”
While welcoming the decision, digital rights experts are not ready to call it a victory. The power to undermine the encryption remains in the United Kingdom law, feeding the calls to an amendment.
The change of direction of the United Kingdom at the back door of Icloud
According to reports, US officials, including vice president JD Vance, have firmly opposed the order of the United Kingdom, warning against “systemic vulnerabilities” that such rear door could create.
Although it is not a predetermined feature, once enabled, the Protection of Advanced Data (ADP) of Apple provides an additional layer of protection in all data stored in ICloud by using end -to -end encryption technology, which means that you can not even apply the files. It is an additional protection measure that the British have not been able to use for months.
A spokesman for the United Kingdom government told PakGazette that both countries have worked together to address security threats and ensure that citizens’ privacy remains protected.
Apple has not yet shared more details about how and when ADP is reintroduced for UK users.
“A welcome step”
American officials were far from being the only part concerned about the negative impact that a back door on Apple’s advanced encryption could have had in the privacy and security of people.
More than 100 Internet leaders, academics, organizations and companies also The alarm increased only a few days after the authorities issued the request for the encryption back door.
Encryption is a technology responsible for preventing unauthorized access to user data. Specifically, the best VPN and sure messaging applications use end -to -end encryption to ensure that online communications remain private between the sender and the receiver. A level of protection that is becoming more and more crucial since the main cyber attacks such as salt typhoon attack are now the norm.
That is why digital rights groups have welcomed the decision of the United Kingdom to retreat in the Apple encryption rear door application.
🚨 According to reports, the Ministry of Interior agreed to eliminate its demand for Apple to allow the government to spy on encrypted messages. This is a welcome step to protect the privacy of millions of users in the United Kingdom. “We repeat our call in the office at home to eliminate its use of technicians … pic.twitter.com/5sre83zhfvAugust 19, 2025
In a publication about X, the interim director of Big Brother Watch, Rebecca Vincent, said: “This is a welcome step to protect the privacy of millions of users in the United Kingdom.”
That said, the power to issue similar encryption rear orders remains a possibility in the United Kingdom Law under the Law on Research Powers.
That is why, according to experts, an amendment to these powers is what should come later.
“We repeat our call in the Interior Ministry to eliminate its use of technical capacity notices (TCNS) that seeks to break the encryption, which represents a serious threat to our ability to communicate in private,” said Vincent, arguing that the Law of Investigation Powers “is not suitable for the purpose and must be modified to protect privacy rights without delay.”
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