The UK Labour government’s secret order to Apple for an iCloud encryption backdoor ignites US-UK tensions as lawmakers demand action.

DIDI RANKOVIC

The Labour government’s reported decision to issue a secret order to Apple to build an encryption backdoor into iCloud is turning into a major political issue between the UK and the US, just as the move is criticized by more than 100 civil society groups, companies, and security experts at home.

The fact that this serious undermining of security and privacy affects users globally, including Americans, has prompted a strong reaction from two US legislators – Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat, and Congressman Andy Biggs, a Republican.

In a letter to National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, the pair slammed the order as “effectively a foreign cyber attack waged through political means.”

Wyden and Biggs – who sit on the Senate Intelligence Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, respectively – want Gabbard to act decisively to prevent any damage to US citizens and government from what they call the UK’s “dangerous, shortsighted efforts.”

The letter urges Gabbard to issue what the US legislators themselves refer to as an ultimatum to the UK: “Back down from this dangerous attack on US cybersecurity, or face serious consequences.”

Unless this happens immediately, Wyden and Biggs want Gabbard to “reevaluate US-UK cybersecurity arrangements and programs as well as US intelligence sharing with the UK.”

They add that the relationship between the two countries must be built on trust – but, if London is moving to “secretly undermine one of the foundations of US cybersecurity, that trust has been profoundly breached.”

The letter points out that the order appears to prohibit Apple from acknowledging it has even received it, under threat of criminal penalties – meaning that the UK is forcing a US company to  keep the public and Congress in the dark about this serious issue.

In the UK, well-known privacy campaigner Big Brother Watch agreed with what the group’s Advocacy Manager Matthew Feeney said were “damning comments” made by Wyden and Biggs.

Feeney said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s “draconian order” to Apple was in effect a cyber attack on that company, and that the letter penned by the US legislators is “wholly justified” – and comes amid “a shameful chapter in the history of UK-US relations.”

“Cooper’s draconian order is not only a disaster for civil liberties, it is also a globally humiliating move that threatens one of the UK’s most important relationships,” he warned, calling on the home secretary to rescind it.

The same is being asked of Cooper by over 100 civil society organizations, companies, and cybersecurity experts – an initiative led by the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC).

SOURCE: Reclaim the Net

Tulsi Gabbard told to crush UK’s Apple data grab

Intelligence director warned by senior lawmakers that attempt by UK to gain access to user’s data amounts to ‘foreign cyberattack’

BENEDICT SMITH

Tulsi Gabbard, America’s intelligence chief, has been urged to quash the British Government’s demand to spy on Apple users around the world.

Ms Gabbard was warned by senior US lawmakers that an attempt by the UK to gain access to users’ encrypted data amounted to a “foreign cyberattack” on Americans.

Ron Wyden, a Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, and Andy Biggs, a Republican on the House Judiciary committee, said that if Britain declined to surrender its data grab then the US should consider limiting intelligence sharing and cooperating on cybersecurity.

Matthew Feeney, of Big Brother Watch, said the US threat of withholding intelligence underscores the graveness of the situation.

“Given the extraordinary scale of information sharing between the UK and US, and other Five Eyes partners, for US representatives to raise concerns that our Government’s surveillance measures are too extreme is a telling indictment of the UK’s reckless attack on global privacy,” Mr Feeny said.

He added: “It would be a disaster for British national security if the UK were to be excluded from the intelligence-sharing network that currently exists between the UK, the USA, and other allies.”

‘Foreign cyberattack through political means’

Last week, The Washington Post reported that the UK Government had directed Apple to provide access to encrypted user data.

The move now risks turning into a transatlantic row after Ms Gabbard was urged to instruct Britain to retract the order, with Democrats and Republicans claiming it would mean surrendering Americans’ data.

“If Apple is forced to build a backdoor in its products, that back door will end up in Americans’ phones, tablets, and computers, undermining the security of Americans’ data, as well as of the countless federal, state and local government agencies that entrust sensitive data to Apple products,” they wrote to Ms Gabbard.

They continued: “The US government must not permit what is effectively a foreign cyberattack waged through political means.

“If the UK does not immediately reverse this dangerous effort, we urge you to re-evaluate US-UK cybersecurity arrangements and programs as well as US intelligence sharing with the UK.”

The two men noted that Ms Gabbard had agreed in her confirmation hearing that digital “backdoors” can “undermine Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights and civil liberties”.

British officials neither confirmed nor denied making the demand to Apple.

Figures familiar with the matter said the Government’s demand had no known democratic precedent. It is seeking blanket access to encrypted material rather than assistance with obtaining data from a specific account.

As a result, they said Apple was likely to stop offering encrypted storage in Britain. However, this would not fulfil the demand for backdoor access in other countries.

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, reportedly ordered Apple to provide access to the data under the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which critics have labelled the “Snoopers’ Charter”.

The Telegraph: continue reading 

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UK Refuses to Weaken Online Censorship Laws Despite US Pressure

Britain reaffirms its commitment to stringent online censorship, rejecting any compromises in the face of US trade talks or political pressure.

CINDY HARPER

The UK government has firmly stated that its online censorship laws will not be softened to appease US President Donald Trump or to facilitate trade negotiations with the United States. Technology Minister Peter Kyle repeated Britain’s stance on maintaining strict digital speech regulations, shutting down any speculation of a shift in policy toward American AI firms.

During the Paris AI summit, Kyle dismissed claims that Downing Street was considering relaxing sections of the Online Safety Act in discussions with the US. Refuting a report from The Daily Telegraph, he asserted: “Safety is not up for negotiation. There are no plans to weaken any of our online safety legislation.”

The Online Safety Act, one of the strictest online speech crackdowns in a democratic nation, which is set to come into force this year.

Industry moguls such as Elon Musk have voiced hopes that a Trump-led administration might resist global regulatory pressures on US-based tech companies.

Despite these concerns, Kyle expressed confidence that Trump would not obstruct Labour’s forthcoming AI legislation, which mandates that leading AI firms undergo “safety” evaluations before rolling out new software. He confirmed that voluntary safety pledges would now be replaced with enforceable mandates, ensuring strict compliance.

SOURCE: Reclaim the Net

Featured image: techradar.com

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