Comparison with China: Trump criticizes the UK's backdoor order to Apple
The UK's secret request to Apple to build a backdoor into the iCloud has not gone down well in Washington. The US President has now spoken out.
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US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized the British government's order for Apple to build a backdoor into the iCloud. Something like this is "familiar from China", Trump said in an interview with the British political magazine The Spectator. He had told British Prime Minister Keir Stamer that "you can't do that".
According to media reports, Apple received a secret order under the controversial Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) at the beginning of February. This has not been officially confirmed, as all parties involved are required by law to maintain confidentiality. The Espionage Act empowers the British government to secretly veto technical protection measures, such as improved encryption, with global implications. This is precisely what Apple is said to have done with its Advanced Data Protection (ADP).
Violation of the Cloud Act?
Apple responded at the end of February by announcing that it was switching off end-to-end encryption for the iCloud in the UK to avoid the obligation to install a backdoor. Even though the company did not provide a reason for this, it was indirectly clear that the media reports were correct. Apple had already warned of just such a danger during the legislative process.
The fact that the UK's approach also met with little approval in US political circles became apparent at the same time as Apple's withdrawal of encryption in the UK. Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in the Trump administration, is having lawyers examine whether London's actions could be directed against existing agreements between the US and the UK. An initial screening revealed that this could apply to the Cloud Act Agreement, according to which the UK is not allowed to request data from US citizens.
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Addressed at the White House meeting
The reservations have now been given further weight by the US President himself. He recently hosted the British Prime Minister. The topics discussed included Ukraine and negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement. In the course of this meeting, he asked Starmer about the British claim against Apple, Trump said in an interview with The Spectator magazine. The publication, which was once edited by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is considered influential in conservative British circles.
(mki)
