iCloud stays closed: UK curtails controversial backdoor request to Apple
After pressure from the US, UK authorities dropped their demand to build backdoor - a technical security bypass - into iCloud. Apple has restored the availability of the service with end-to-end encryption and continues its court battle for the right not to weaken the protection of user data.
Here's What We Know
The UK government has decided to abandon the idea of obliging Apple to implement backdoor - special access to encrypted iCloud data. In January, authorities secretly demanded that the company create a technical capability for the company to access any user's backups under the UK's Investigatory Powers Act, also known as the "Surveillance Act". But a harsh US response, including warnings from JD Vance and the risk of undermining bilateral agreements, forced the British authorities to compromise.
Apple had earlier disabled Advanced Data Protection, an end-to-end encryption feature for iCloud backups, in the UK and filed a complaint with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, arguing that the UK authorities' demands violated users' privacy rights.
Meanwhile, the UK Home Office, which oversees security and surveillance, is trying to find a compromise solution to save face and not jeopardise key negotiations with the US on digital regulation and AI development.
Why it matters
Forced access to iCloud threatened not only user privacy, but also real co-operation between the UK and the US on technology and AI. If London had secured such a right, it would have opened the way for other countries to demand similar measures from US companies. The situation now demonstrates: legislation, even under the guise of fighting terrorism, cannot violate fundamental rights and international treaties.
Source: FT
