UK drops demand for 'back door' access to Apple users' encrypted data

The Government has retreated on its controversial demand for a 'back door' to Apple users' data following a row with Donald Trump.

Tulsi Gabbard, the US director of national intelligence, said Britain had dropped a request for the American tech giant to enable access to 'protected encrypted data'.

She posted on X/Twitter that she had ensured American's 'private data remains private' following work with the US President and his vice-president JD Vance.

Earlier this year, the Government was revealed to have demanded access to encrypted data stored by Apple users worldwide in its cloud service.

In a notice issued under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, the Home Office was said to have sought data protected by Apple's advanced data protection (ADP) tool.

This is an opt-in tool within Apple's iCloud service which only an account holder can access, and is currently out of the reach of even Apple.

The iPhone-maker subsequently said it was withdrawing the tool from the UK and brought legal action against the Home Office.

Mr Trump compared the UK's demand to Chinese surveillance and said he had told Sir Keir Starmer he 'can't do this' after meeting with the Prime Minister in February.

In her social media post, Ms Gabbard wrote: 'Over the past few months, I've been working closely with our partners in the UK... to ensure Americans' private data remains private and our Constitutional rights and civil liberties are protected.

'As a result, the UK has 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.'

Senior Tory MP Sir David Davis, a former Cabinet minister, welcomed the Government's decision to drop its demand for access to Apple users' encrypted data.

'Such a backdoor would only serve to weaken the protection given by encryption to all of us from malicious actors,' he said.

The Government's approach was widely criticised by online privacy campaigners and experts when reports of the request first appeared.

But police and security services around the world have long warned of the dangers of end-to-end encrypted services.

It is argued they allow offenders such as terrorists and child abusers to hide more easily.

A UK Government spokesperson said: 'We do 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.'

They added the agreements have 'long contained' safeguards to protect privacy and sovereignty, including for UK and US citizens.