UK agreed to drop 'backdoor' mandate for Apple, says Tulsi Gabbard

This comes after the UK government in January compelled the iPhone maker to disable its most advanced feature on user data stored in cloud services

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Monday (local time) said the UK has agreed to drop its mandate for Apple Inc to provide a "back door" for American users' data.

 

In a post on X, Gabbard wrote, "Over the past few months, I’ve been working closely with our partners in the UK, alongside @POTUS and @VP, to ensure Americans' private data remains private and our Constitutional rights and civil liberties are protected."

 

She further added, "As a result, the UK has agreed to drop its mandate for 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 [sic]."

 

Why did UK force Apple to build backdoor to access to user data?

 

In January, the UK government asked the iPhone maker to disable its most advanced feature on user data stored in cloud services. The move was expected to allow the UK authorities to potentially access global user information, including device backups and voice memos, Bloomberg reported.

 

According to the report, the British order was authorised under the UK's Investigatory Powers Act, a law that allowed officials the authority to force companies to remove encryption under what’s known as a “technical capability notice".

 

The law also made it illegal for companies to reveal when the government made such an order, the report added.

 

How did Apple respond?

 

In February, Apple removed its cloud encryption from the UK in an unprecedented move, especially for a company that has built its reputation around privacy and data security.

 

A Bloomberg report stated that the iPhone maker, in the past, has resisted government pressure to weaken the encryption because such a move would undermine cybersecurity and privacy. In March 2024, Apple noted, "protecting our users’ privacy and the security of their data is at the very heart of everything we do", adding that it’s “deeply concerned proposed amendments".

 

The company at the time also added, "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."

 

Leading technology companies, including Apple, Alphabet, Google, and Microsoft Corp, also raised concerns regarding the "backdoor" to circumvent their encryption.