Security officials from the United Kingdom have reportedly ordered Apple to implement a backdoor giving access to encrypted iCloud backups of its users worldwide. As disclosed by The Washington Post, Apple received a technical capability notice from the UK Home Secretary’s office last month based on the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016 which expanded the surveillance powers of the British intelligence agencies and police.
As per the document, which is still not officially shared, Apple is required to offer unlimited access to end-to-end encrypted files uploaded by users worldwide and not just from the UK. This development would be a precedent for a major democracy forcing a large-scale tech corporation to share user data. Apple has yet to make an official comment on the matter.
It remains to be seen how Apple will address the new demands from the UK government. One possible outcome is that Cupertino will stop offering its Advanced Data Protection option to users in the UK. However, this outcome would still not fulfill the UK’s requirements for accessing data of users residing outside of the UK.
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