UK Reportedly Withdraws Demand to Access Encrypted iCloud User Data
The British government has agreed to withdraw its controversial demand to access Apple users' encrypted iCloud data, according to the U.S. director of intelligence.
Tulsi Gabbard said in a post on X (Twitter) the UK had dropped its plans to force Apple to provide a back door that would have "enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberties."
According to sources who spoke to the Financial Times, the UK has agreed to rescind the order, but it has yet to be formally withdrawn. The BBC reports that Apple has yet to received any formal communication from either government.
The development follows reports earlier this year that the UK used its Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) to demand secret access to encrypted user data uploaded to iCloud worldwide. Apple responded by removing its Advanced Data Protection feature from the UK rather than compromising its security standards.
The British government had sought to keep details of the case private, but Apple filed a legal appeal against a UK that meant the Home Office couldn't keep all the details of its demand out of the public domain.
Apple
made it clear that it would pull iCloud features from the UK rather than compromise its user security, and while that initially only extended to Advanced Data Protection, it could have led to key features like FaceTime and iMessage being removed in the country. The UK wanted backdoor access to iCloud data to fight terrorism and investigate child sex abuse.
The UK's order was particularly controversial as it would have required Apple to provide access to data from users outside the UK without their governments' knowledge – which was what led the U.S. to pressure the UK government to back down. The IPA also makes it illegal for companies to disclose the existence of such government demands.
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