By EZ in News — Feb 11, 2025

UK Government Orders Apple to Create Backdoor for Encrypted iCloud Accounts Worldwide

Apple has received a secret order from the UK Home Secretary's office requiring the company to provide access to any user data protected by its Advanced Data Protection for iCloud.

Source: TheDigitalArtist

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Introduced at the end of 2022, Advanced Data Protection for iCloud utilizes end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only users, not Apple, can access their data. The service is an opt-in security option for Apple users in the United States and elsewhere.
The Home Secretary's office has issued Apple a technical capability notice under the U.K. Investigatory Powers Act of 2016 (known as the Snoopers’ Charter), requiring it to assist law enforcement in collecting evidence. Complying with the UK demand would necessitate Apple to compromise the feature by creating a backdoor.

"The British government’s undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies," reports The Washington Post.

Sources told the Post that Apple might withdraw support for Advanced Data Protection for iCloud in the UK instead of installing a backdoor. However, this action would not meet the UK's demand for worldwide backdoor access.
Last year, Apple argued that using the act against strong encryption would conflict with a European Court of Human Rights ruling, which stated that requiring companies to break end-to-end encryption for all users violates the European right to privacy.

"Using Technical Capability Notices to weaken encryption around the globe is a shocking move that will position the UK as a tech pariah, rather than a tech leader. If implemented, the directive will create a dangerous cybersecurity vulnerability in the nervous system of our global economy," said Meredith Whittaker, President of Signal.