The British government has secretly ordered Apple to provide a backdoor to allow access to all user content uploaded to iCloud, reports The Washington Post. The demand could lead to Apple turning off access to iCloud for users in the UK.
The order is said to have been issued last month, and requires that Apple provide backdoor access that allows UK security officials to access encrypted user data worldwide. Such a demand from a democratic country is a first.
The spying order was included in a “technical capability notice,” document sent to Apple by the Home Secretary. The document orders the Cupertino company to provide access under the sweeping UK Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) of 2016, labeled the “Snooper’s Charter” by critics, as it authorizes law enforcement to compel assistance from companies when needed to collect evidence.
One of the people briefed on the situation, a consultant advising the United States on encryption matters, said Apple would be barred from warning its users that its most advanced encryption no longer provided full security. The person deemed it shocking that the UK government was demanding Apple’s help to spy on non-British users without their governments’ knowledge. A former White House security adviser confirmed the existence of the British order.
If Apple were forced to comply it would likely instead cease offering encrypted cloud storage to UK users, in order to avoid breaking security and privacy related promises the company has long made to its users. However, the UK government would still demand backdoor access to the service in other countries, including the United States.
