LONDON: Britain abandoned its demand that Apple provide so-called backdoor access to any encrypted user data stored in the cloud, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Monday.
Gabbard indicated London and Washington had resolved their high-stakes dispute over electronic privacy, writing on X that she and President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance spent the "past few months" working with the UK government.
"As a result, the UK agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a 'back door' that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberties," she said.
The dispute surfaced at the start of the year with a news report that British security officials had issued the US tech giant with a secret order requiring the creation of backdoor access to view fully encrypted material.
Apple challenged the order, which raised fears of electronic spying by national security officials.
The British government reportedly served Apple with what is known as a "technical capability notice" ordering it to provide the access under a sweeping law called the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which has been dubbed the snoopers' charter.
The U.K. Home Office did not respond directly to Gabbard's statement, saying it "does not comment on operational matters, including confirming or denying the existence of such notices."
"We have long had joint security and intelligence arrangements with the US to tackle the most serious threats such as terrorism and child sexual abuse, including the role played by fast-moving technology in enabling those threats," the office said. "We will always take all actions necessary at the domestic level to keep UK citizens safe."
Gabbard indicated London and Washington had resolved their high-stakes dispute over electronic privacy, writing on X that she and President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance spent the "past few months" working with the UK government.
"As a result, the UK agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a 'back door' that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberties," she said.
The dispute surfaced at the start of the year with a news report that British security officials had issued the US tech giant with a secret order requiring the creation of backdoor access to view fully encrypted material.
Apple challenged the order, which raised fears of electronic spying by national security officials.
The British government reportedly served Apple with what is known as a "technical capability notice" ordering it to provide the access under a sweeping law called the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which has been dubbed the snoopers' charter.
The U.K. Home Office did not respond directly to Gabbard's statement, saying it "does not comment on operational matters, including confirming or denying the existence of such notices."
"We have long had joint security and intelligence arrangements with the US to tackle the most serious threats such as terrorism and child sexual abuse, including the role played by fast-moving technology in enabling those threats," the office said. "We will always take all actions necessary at the domestic level to keep UK citizens safe."
You may also like
Putin-Zelenskyy meet agreed: White House announces Putin ready for bilateral meet; trilateral talks an option 'if necessary'
Big B says 'never take never granted for granted'
'Thackeray Brand' Fails To Shine In BEST Polls In Mumbai; Uddhav-Raj's Alliance Crashes With 0, Shashank Rao's Panel Bags 14 Seats, Prasad Lad's Panel Wins 7
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh Weather LATEST update: Red alert issued by IMD
The height of children between 8 and 18 years will increase rapidly, Feed them 1 spoon of this powder daily
