UK Government Reportedly Demands Backdoor Access to Your Apple iCloud Account
The UK government has asked Apple to weaken security measures to make people private data so it can access iCloud accounts and other services more easily, The Washington Post reported.
Security officials have asked the company to create backdoor access through its security systems, which will allow it to access user data not only in the UK, but also around the world as part of a criminal investigation. The request was reportedly consistent by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper under the newly expanded Investigative Powers Act, a controversial legislation informally known as “The Snoop’s Charter“This allows law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies to conduct surveillance.
Apple’s end-to-end encryption is called advanced data protection, which means that only Apple account holders can see what’s in the iCloud folder. End-to-end encryption is considered the gold standard in user privacy protection – even Apple can’t revolve around ADP. Security experts believe that once the UK government now requires backdoor access to create, people’s accounts will become more vulnerable to hackers and other security threats.
The Home Office said in a statement that it refused to comment on operational matters, including “confirmation or denial” that it had issued Apple’s notice under the Right to Investigation Act. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
The Investigation of Great Powers Act aims to help detect and prevent the spread of images of serious crimes, including terrorism and child sexual abuse. But technology companies, privacy activists and security experts have also widely criticized it as an over-introduction to the government.
Civil liberties group Big Brother Watch issued a statement on Friday urging the government to immediately cancel “harsh orders” and stop trying to adopt large-scale surveillance.
“We are very troubled by reports that the UK government has ordered a backdoor that effectively breaks the encryption of millions of users – an unprecedented attack on privacy has no place in any democracy,” the group said.
Apple has previously said it would rather withdraw its services from the UK than undermine security. It can raise government requests, but does not allow delays in implementing changes.
