UK Government Attempts to Access Encrypted Apple Data - Report

U.K. Government Seeks Access to Encrypted iCloud Data

According to reports from the Financial Times, the United Kingdom government continues its efforts to obtain access to encrypted data stored within iCloud.

New Demand for Backdoor

British authorities have allegedly submitted a new, confidential order to Apple, requesting the development of a backdoor to bypass encryption.

The U.K. Home Office reportedly issued this order in September, aiming to compel Apple to establish a system granting officials access to encrypted cloud backups belonging to U.K. citizens.

Privacy Concerns Raised

Privacy advocates have cautioned against compliance with such a directive, asserting that it would negatively affect user privacy on a global scale.

Apple spokesperson Julien Trosdorf, responding to inquiries, refrained from commenting on the existence of the second order.

However, he expressed the company’s “grave disappointment” at being unable to offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) to users within the U.K.

Advanced Data Protection (ADP)

ADP is an optional feature that provides end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups, ensuring that even Apple itself cannot access the data.

A representative from the U.K. Home Office did not respond to a request for comment from TechCrunch.

Second Technical Capability Notice

This marks the second instance of the U.K. government issuing a “technical capability notice” to Apple.

The initial order, delivered in January, sought access to cloud-stored backups from any Apple user account globally protected by ADP.

Investigatory Powers Act 2016

This first order was issued under the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Act 2016, often referred to as the “Snoopers’ Charter” by its critics.

The act initially compelled Apple to disable ADP enrollment for new U.K. users and subsequently to revoke it for existing users.

Apple firmly stated at the time, “We have never built a back door or master key to any of our products or services and we never will.”

Previous Effort Abandoned

The prior attempt by the U.K. government reportedly failed after negotiations with the Trump administration, as announced by U.S. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard.

Apple previously challenged the legal demand in court, and the court ruled against conducting the proceedings in secrecy.

This article has been updated to include a statement from Apple’s spokesperson.