UK Reignites Encryption Fight With New Demand for Apple iCloud Backdoor

The UK government has reportedly issued a new order demanding Apple create a backdoor into its cloud storage service, a move that renews the contentious encryption battle despite recent claims from the U.S. that the dispute had been resolved.

The Financial Times reports that the UK Home Office issued the new technical capability notice (TCN) in early September. According to people briefed on the matter, the demand requires Apple to build a system allowing officials access to encrypted cloud backups, but it is now limited to the data of British citizens.

The move comes just over a month after U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that the UK had agreed to drop its mandate. The original demand, issued in January, sought global access to encrypted user data and sparked a diplomatic clash, with the Trump administration pressuring the UK to retract it.


In response to the initial order, Apple pulled its most secure cloud storage feature, Advanced Data Protection, from the UK. The company also filed a legal challenge with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. The new order may restart that legal process.

Privacy campaigners warned that even a geographically limited backdoor poses a global threat. Caroline Wilson Palow, legal director of Privacy International, told the Financial Times that the new order might be "just as big a threat to worldwide security and privacy" as the original. "If Apple breaks end-to-end encryption for the UK, it breaks it for everyone," she said.

The UK Home Office told the Financial Times that it does not comment on operational matters, while Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Both parties are restricted by law from discussing the notices.

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