The uk’s office of the home secretary has allegedly asked apple to provide a backdoor in any material any user has uploaded to iCloud Worldwide, The Washington Post Reported on Feb. 7. Anonymous Sources Provided the washington post the information and expressed concerns about tech companies being able lit. for government surveillance.
Apple has not commented; However, in March, the company provided a statement to parliament on the evcation of receiving notice of a potential request, saying “there is no reason why the uk [government] Should have the authority to decide for citizens of the world wheether they can avail themselves of the proven security benefits that flow from end-end encryption. “
UK Government Request Falls Under 2016 Law Enforcement Act
The office of the home secretary acted under the UK Investigator Powers Act of 2016, which enables law enforcement to force companies to comply with demands for access, Specifically, the office served apple with a technical capability notice.
A consultant advising the US government on matters related to encryption called the uk’s request “shocking,” according to the washington post.
“If implemented, the direct will create a Danger Cybersecurity Vulnerability in the Nervous System of our Global Economy,” Meredith Whittaker, PRESIDENTH SITTAKER Al, Told the washington post.
See: Security Professionals in the UK can watch the cyber monitoring center’s new cyber attack rating system, but its information may be be too broad and too late for practive use.
Advanced Data Protection Comes under Fire Again
The Possible Backdoor means the UK Government Cold Access Information Uploaded by Personal and Business Users Deploying Apple Products, even if apple its its its its item of its cloud storage. Specifically, the order would give the uk an opening into information covered under apple’s advanced data protection, an optional security layer introduced in 2022.
If the uk does get its backdoor, Apple Could Shut Down the Advanced Data Protection Service.
The FBI under President Donald Trump’s First Administration Protasted Advanced Data Protection for similar inaccessibility reasons the uk is now seeking to circum. On the other hand, tech companies like apple allege a backdoor would be used by criminals or by authoritarian governments against their citizens.
Advanced data protection for iCloud is available to apple users at no additional cost. It can be set up using a recovery contact or key on top of a standard, updated apple account’s two-factor authentication.
“Most” Apple Users Don’t Advanced Data Protection, The Washington Post Said.