According to a report by The Washington Post on Feb. 7, sources claim that the U.K.’s Home Secretary has demanded that Apple create a way to access any data stored on iCloud by users worldwide. Concerns have been raised about tech companies being used for government surveillance.
While Apple has not responded directly, the company did provide a statement to Parliament in March upon being informed of the potential request. Apple argued that citizens around the world should be able to benefit from end-to-end encryption without intervention from the U.K. government.
Uk government proposal related to 2016 enforcement legislation
Under the U.K. Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, the Home Secretary’s office was empowered to instruct companies to comply with requests for data access if needed for evidence in investigations. Apple was specifically served with a technical capability notice in this case.
An encryption consultant advising the U.S. government referred to the U.K.’s request as “surprising,” according to The Washington Post.
Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal encrypted messenger nonprofit organization, warned of the potential cybersecurity risks if the directive were to be implemented, stating that it could create vulnerabilities that impact the global economy.
VIEW: Security experts in the UK can access the Cyber Monitoring Centre’s latest cyber threat level system. However, the information provided may be too general and outdated for practical use.
Criticisms rise against Advanced Data Protection
The idea of creating a backdoor could allow the U.K. government to access data stored by personal and business users of Apple products, even if Apple itself cannot view the encrypted information. This order would grant access to data protected by Apple’s Advanced Data Protection, an added security feature introduced in 2022.
If the backdoor is established, Apple may opt to disable the Advanced Data Protection feature.
Furthermore, during President Donald Trump’s first term, the FBI expressed concerns about Advanced Data Protection for similar reasons that the U.K. is now attempting to overcome. On the contrary, tech firms like Apple argue that creating a backdoor could lead to misuse by criminals or authoritarian regimes against their citizens.
Advanced Data Protection for iCloud is accessible to Apple users free of charge. Users can activate it by setting up a recovery contact or key in addition to the standard two-factor authentication of an updated Apple Account.
According to The Washington Post, the majority of Apple users have not enabled Advanced Data Protection.
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