UK’s secret Apple iCloud backdoor order is a global emergency, say critics

image via TechCrunch

February 10, 2025, 3:04 PM

• •The U.K. government has reportedly secretly ordered Apple to build a backdoor that would allow British security officials to access the encrypted cloud storage data of Apple customers anywhere in the world.
• •The secret order — issued under the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (known as the Snoopers’ Charter) — aims to undermine an opt-in Apple feature that provides end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for iCloud backups, called Advanced Data Protection.
• •Security and privacy advocates also say that the U.K. could set a dangerous global precedent that authoritarian regimes and cybercriminals will be eager to exploit — any backdoor developed for government use would inevitably be exploited by hackers and other governments.

The U.K. government has reportedly secretly ordered Apple to build a backdoor that would allow British security officials to access the encrypted cloud storage data of Apple customers anywhere in the world. The move has sparked concerns that the security for millions of Apple device owners all over the world could be weakened.

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