UK Government Abandons Apple Encryption Backdoor Order
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The U.K. government has withdrawn its demand for Apple to implement a backdoor in its encryption, which would have allowed access to encrypted data of U.S. citizens. This decision follows months of negotiations with the U.S. government to protect civil liberties. The order, issued in January 2025, was part of the Investigatory Powers Act and aimed to enable access to end-to-end encrypted cloud data. Apple had previously disabled its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature in the U.K. in response to the demand. Apple's ADP feature provides strong encryption that prevents third-party access, including Apple itself. The company has consistently opposed the creation of backdoors, citing risks to user privacy and security. The U.K. government's reversal comes after significant pushback from U.S. civil liberties advocates and legal challenges from Apple.
Timeline
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19.08.2025 14:24 đ° 1 articles
UK Government Withdraws Apple Encryption Backdoor Demand
The U.K. government has withdrawn its demand for Apple to implement a backdoor in its encryption, which would have allowed access to encrypted data of U.S. citizens. This decision follows months of negotiations with the U.S. government to protect civil liberties. The order, issued in January 2025, was part of the Investigatory Powers Act and aimed to enable access to end-to-end encrypted cloud data. Apple had previously disabled its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature in the U.K. in response to the demand.
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- U.K. Government Drops Apple Encryption Backdoor Order After U.S. Civil Liberties Pushback â thehackernews.com â 19.08.2025 14:24
Information Snippets
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The U.K. government issued a technical capability notice (TCN) under the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) in January 2025, demanding Apple to create a backdoor for encrypted iCloud data.
First reported: 19.08.2025 14:24đ° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- U.K. Government Drops Apple Encryption Backdoor Order After U.S. Civil Liberties Pushback â thehackernews.com â 19.08.2025 14:24
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Apple disabled its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature in the U.K. in February 2025 in response to the government's demand.
First reported: 19.08.2025 14:24đ° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- U.K. Government Drops Apple Encryption Backdoor Order After U.S. Civil Liberties Pushback â thehackernews.com â 19.08.2025 14:24
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The U.S. government, led by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, engaged with the U.K. to protect U.S. citizens' civil liberties, leading to the withdrawal of the backdoor demand.
First reported: 19.08.2025 14:24đ° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- U.K. Government Drops Apple Encryption Backdoor Order After U.S. Civil Liberties Pushback â thehackernews.com â 19.08.2025 14:24
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Apple has appealed the legality of the order, and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) denied attempts to keep the case secret.
First reported: 19.08.2025 14:24đ° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- U.K. Government Drops Apple Encryption Backdoor Order After U.S. Civil Liberties Pushback â thehackernews.com â 19.08.2025 14:24
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Google and Meta have not received similar requests from the U.K. government to weaken encryption protections.
First reported: 19.08.2025 14:24đ° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- U.K. Government Drops Apple Encryption Backdoor Order After U.S. Civil Liberties Pushback â thehackernews.com â 19.08.2025 14:24