Apple’s defiance held, but the real test may come from Brussels, not London.
KEN MACON
British officials have reportedly backed away from their attempt to pressure Apple into weakening its encryption systems, a move that would have jeopardized the privacy of users worldwide.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed the shift in a statement posted on X, saying the outcome followed months of coordination with the UK, President Donald Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.
The announcement coincided with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Washington, where he joined other European leaders for talks with Trump that also covered the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Although the UK government did not directly address the specifics of any agreement, a spokesperson reaffirmed its commitment to cooperating with the US on security while also protecting civil liberties. “We will always take all actions necessary at the domestic level to keep UK citizens safe,” the spokesperson said.
Apple declined to comment on Gabbard’s statement.
The main dispute was a demand from British authorities that Apple introduce a backdoor into its encrypted systems.
Apple opposed the order, maintaining that it would not create a method to give any party access to users’ encrypted data. Cybersecurity experts warned that any such mechanism would eventually be discovered and exploited by malicious actors.
In response to the UK’s pressure, Apple disabled its Advanced Data Protection feature for British users in February.
The feature, which is still available in other regions, provides end-to-end encryption so that only the user can access their iCloud data. Lawmakers in the US had raised alarms over the UK’s demand, pointing to risks that such a system could be abused by foreign governments or criminal groups.
US authorities have also been reviewing whether the UK breached the terms of the CLOUD Act, which prohibits either country from issuing data demands that affect the citizens of the other.
Gabbard acknowledged this review in a letter to Congress dated February 25, stating that the US was assessing whether the UK had violated the bilateral agreement.
While the UK has stepped back from its demand that Apple compromise its encryption protections, the broader fight over digital privacy is far from resolved. Across the European Union, a controversial proposal known as “Chat Control” is advancing, one that would compel messaging platforms to scan all user content, even on encrypted services.
If passed, the regulation would effectively dismantle end-to-end encryption by requiring providers to monitor private messages for potential illegal material.
This article (Tulsi Gabbard Announces UK Retreat from Encrypted Messaging Backdoor Plan) was created and published by Reclaim the Net and is republished here under “Fair Use” with attribution to the author Ken Macon
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Liberty Beacon Project.
Leave a Reply