The US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, announced that the United Kingdom has backed down and withdrawn a controversial order that would have forced Apple to provide a backdoor to American users' data.
In a post on X, Gabbard said the decision came after months of working with President Trump and Vice President Vance “to ensure private data Americans’.” In that post, she announced that the United Kingdom had agreed to withdraw the order.
As Reuters reported, “British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was in Washington on Monday with other European leaders to meet with Trump and discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine,” so it is possible that this issue was discussed there as well.
See also: ClickFix attack with fake BBC page and Cloudflare verification
United Kingdom vs Apple: A Brief History
In January, British authorities confidentially issued a technical capability notice under the Investigatory Powers Act, a law that gives the government the power to force technology companies to relax encryption capabilities on their platforms.
The order required Apple to disable Advancedfor Data Protection iCloud.With this change, British agencies could access cloud backups, recorded messages and other encrypted content.
See also: Misusing Microsoft Help Index Files to execute PipeMagic malware
In response to the order, Apple removed features end-to-end encryption iCloud's from the UK, and in a statement provided to 9to5Mac at the time, the company said the following:
«Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the UK to new users. Existing UK users will also need to disable this security feature. ADP protects iCloud data with end-to-end encryption, meaning that data can only be decrypted by the user who owns it, and only on their trusted devices. We are deeply disappointed that the protections offered by ADP will not be available to our customers in the UK, given the continued rise in data breaches and other threats to customer privacy. Strengthening the security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more imperative than ever. Apple remains committed to providing users with the highest level of security for their personal data, and we hope to be able to do so in the future in the UK. As we have said many times in the past, we have never created a backdoor or master key for any of our products or services, and we never will.».
The order has now been withdrawn, which is a victory for Apple and privacy in general, but there is currently no update on when ADP will return to the UK.
See also: Phishing: Noodlophile malware distribution with new “bait”
London's retreat shows that pressure from governments (like the US) and tech companies can work in cases where national security and individual privacy. Apple has been adamant that it will not build backdoors into its products — and that stance appears to be paying off.
Apple has built its image as a privacy advocate.
- Advanced Data Protection (ADP) is one of its most powerful weapons: end-to-end encryption that even the company itself cannot "break."
- The UK's demand to disable ADP revealed the Big Tech dilemma:
- Comply with government requirements, risking user trust.
- Or resist, with possible legal/commercial consequences.
Apple's choice to sacrifice the UK market shows that it considers its security credentials much more critical.
🔒 Protect your privacy with Proton VPN
Swiss VPN from the creators of Proton Mail — strict no-logs policy, strong encryption, and built-in NetShield that blocks ads, trackers, & malware.
- ✔ No-logs, based in Switzerland (except 14-Eyes)
- ✔ NetShield: blocks ads, trackers & malicious domains
- ✔ Covers all devices — free version available
The link is an affiliate link — SecNews may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. It does not affect the independence of our article writing.
Source: 9to5mac.com
