UK Government Demands Access to Encrypted Apple Cloud Data

The UK government has issued a legal demand under the Investigatory Powers Act, requiring Apple to grant access to encrypted data stored by users in its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) service.

Currently, only Apple account holders can access data stored through ADP, as the tech giant itself cannot view the encrypted content. The Home Office has refused to comment on the notice, citing operational confidentiality.

Apple also declined to comment on the request.

The notice affects content stored by users who opt into the ADP service, which offers heightened privacy by encrypting photos, videos, and other information. However, users risk losing access to their data permanently if they forget their account credentials.

The government insists that access to encrypted data would only be granted following a legal process, requiring specific justifications and permissions, similar to current practices for unencrypted data.

Cybersecurity experts and privacy advocates have raised concerns about the government’s demand. Professor Alan Woodward of Surrey University called the move “stunning,” while Big Brother Watch described it as a “troubling” erosion of civil liberties.

Apple has previously warned that it would withdraw its security services from the UK market rather than comply with government demands to create backdoors for authorities. Cybersecurity experts argue that such backdoors would eventually be exploited by malicious actors.

Despite this, the Investigatory Powers Act applies globally to any tech firm operating in the UK, even if they are not headquartered there.

Apple has the right to appeal the government’s demand but must comply during the appeal process, as required by the legislation.

The government argues that encryption enables criminals to evade detection, a view echoed by the FBI in the US. The UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has previously criticized encryption for allowing child abusers to share hidden content.

However, cybersecurity expert Lisa Forte cautioned that the government’s approach would likely backfire.

Apple, known for its strong stance on user privacy, previously described proposed changes to the Investigatory Powers Act as an “unprecedented overreach” by the government.

Those changes, which allow the government to veto new security measures, were ultimately passed into law.

Follow us on: