The United Kingdom authorities want to force Apple to break their end -to -end encryption protections and allow it to spy on all data stored by users around the world in their cloud storage service.
The Washington Post was the first to inform about the unleasized order that the giant of the great technology supposedly received last month.
People familiar with the matter told the publication that Apple is likely to stop storing encrypted in the United Kingdom, instead of undermining privacy and security promised for their services. However, this may not be enough for Apple to completely avoid the requirement to meet the demands of return in encryption in other countries.
Issued under the controversial Law of Investigation Powers of 2016, the Order of the United Kingdom adds to continuous pressures in Europe and beyond to create rear doors in encryption software that could facilitate the criminal investigations of the police. However, technologists and privacy experts have argued for a long time how this would undermine the general security of citizens while feeding indiscriminate mass surveillance. After Apple, they fear Meta and Google could become the next target of the United Kingdom.
UK encryption rear door application
The United Kingdom notice is addressed to all iPhone, iPad and macOS encryption users around the world that have stored using Apple’s advanced data protection (ADP).
While this is not a default feature, users can manually enable this protection for additional privacy and safety to encrypt all stored data. This means that not even Apple can access these files. It is worth mentioning that the FBI also expressed concern about this characteristic when it was launched in 2022.
Until now, Apple, and even the office at the United Kingdom’s house, have refused to share comments on the matter, and the latter says that it does not confirm or deny the existence of such warning.
Considered Snooper’s graph by his critics, the investigation energy law allows the police to “force the assistance of companies when necessary to collect evidence,” said an anonymous source of Washington Post, according to reports, near the affair.
Worse, among other things, the last year proposed to the law seeks to demand from all technological companies that request the approval of the Ministry of Interior before adding new security or privacy functions, including encryption. At that time, Apple strongly criticized the proposal, arguing that “it would undermine fundamental human rights.”
🚨The United Kingdom Government has issued a secret order*to have constant access to all data from our iPhone. Not only for the citizens of the United Kingdom, but the world 😱i Apple has received this order (TCN*), I hope whatsapp, goal etc. Was it that way … 2025 is the new 1984? https://t.co/ho5paofdgeFebruary 7, 2025
“This is a deeply worrying step that has enormous ramifications for both encryption and for the privacy of people’s data worldwide,” said Jurgita Miseviciute, head of Proton Public Policy, to Techradar.
The supplier behind one of the best VPN, encrypted email and drives services in the market, fears that Apple compliance will create a dangerous precedent in the fight against encrypted applications.
Other experts and privacy defenders fear that Google’s tastes can be the next. Both companies, in fact, offer encrypted backup options.
In a tweet in X, Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo wrote: “It is not precedents for a government in any democracy to take our ability to have a private conversation, without the state listening, far from millions of their own citizens : much less the world.
However, it is not just our privacy at stake. Experts also argue that, at the technical level, the encryption rear will create more problems than they solve by allowing cybercriminals to exploit vulnerable entry points.
“The rear doors for encryption that only let the good ones are impossible,” Miseviciute said. “Eliminating access to end -to -end encryption in the United Kingdom for people’s archives would be a big step back that would create a two -level system, Erode Trust and would expose British users to surveillance and cyber threats.”
