Apple to Sue UK Government over Demand for iPhone Surveillance Backdoor

[Social Media]

 

Apple has launched a legal battle against the British government over a secret order demanding the company install a backdoor in iPhones, allowing authorities to access encrypted messages and photos. The tech giant has filed an appeal with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which oversees the country’s surveillance laws, challenging Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s directive to weaken its encryption.  

 

The order requires Apple to break the security measures protecting its iCloud storage system, a move the company strongly opposes. Last month, Apple disabled its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature in the UK rather than comply, expressing its disappointment. “We have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will,” the company stated.  

 

The UK government’s demand has also drawn criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who likened it to surveillance practices used in China. Trump condemned the move, saying, “We told them you can’t do this... We actually told him [Starmer] ... That’s incredible. That’s something, you know, that you hear about with China.” Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. national intelligence director, called the request “egregious” and vowed to investigate whether it complied with legal agreements between the U.S. and the UK.  

 

British security officials argue that end-to-end encryption allows criminals to operate freely and obstructs law enforcement investigations. The ADP encryption prevents Apple from accessing iPhone backups, even if requested by authorities. The Home Office’s order could potentially extend beyond the UK, affecting users in other countries where the feature remains active.  

 

The appeal, which could be heard within the next month, marks the first known challenge to a UK government-issued technical capability notice to break encryption. Under recent legal changes, companies must still comply with encryption-breaking orders even while appealing them.  

 

The Home Office has refused to comment, stating: “We do not comment on operational matters, including, for example, confirming or denying the existence of any such notices.” Apple maintains that complying with the order would endanger millions of users by making private data vulnerable to hackers.

 

Based on a report by The telegraph  2025-03-06

 

 

[JonnyF]

46 minutes ago, Social Media said:

Trump condemned the move, saying, “We told them you can’t do this... We actually told him [Starmer] ... That’s incredible. That’s something, you know, that you hear about with China.”

 

Exactly.

 

Let's hope Apple wins this case. The tyranny of this Labour government must be challenged at every turn.

[James105]

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

British security officials argue that end-to-end encryption allows criminals to operate freely and obstructs law enforcement investigations.

 

Perhaps if they were able to employ better cyber security people by paying them at least as much as whatever the Head of (regional) DEI at the NHS gets, then maybe they would have a better chance at not allowing criminals to operate so freely.  

 

 

[sammieuk1]

The interest in backdoors is now overwhelming in Starmers Stazi government we are all getting bent over🤔

[klauskunkel]

7 hours ago, Social Media said:

The Home Office has refused to comment, stating: “We do not comment on operational matters, including, for example, confirming or denying the existence of any such notices.”

Well, Apple can comment "on the existence of such notices" and does so...

[CygnusX1]

I’ve just discovered that I can log onto my Apple account with the short numeric passcode I use to lock my iPad. I was under the impression that the account was protected by my 20 pseudo random character password for my Apple account stored in Bitwarden. Seems to me that Apple have no concern whatsoever over the security of their users.