Great Britain again demands Apple backdoor – this time only for British users

In September, the British government once again requested Apple to provide access to encrypted iCloud backups via a Technical Capability Notice (TCN). Unlike the first order in January, which demanded worldwide access, the new request is limited to the data of British citizens. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing informed sources.

The original request in January sparked a diplomatic row between the UK and the US and threatened to strain trade relations. As a result, Apple deactivated its advanced data protection (ADP) for iCloud in the UK in February.

However, according to data protection experts, the new order could be just as dangerous as the first. Caroline Wilson Palow from Privacy International warns: "If Apple breaks end-to-end encryption for the UK, it will break it for everyone." The resulting security gap could be exploited by hostile states, criminals and other actors worldwide.

Apple had lodged an appeal against the original order with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. The orders are based on the UK Investigatory Powers Act, which the government describes as necessary to combat terrorism and child abuse.

Diplomatic pressure from Washington

High-ranking representatives of the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, had previously urged the UK to withdraw the January order. US President Donald Trump compared the British demand to Chinese state surveillance. In August, Gabbard stated that the UK had agreed to drop its demand for access to protected encrypted data of American citizens.

A person close to the Trump administration emphasised at the time that any backdoor would also weaken protection for US citizens. The demand would have to be withdrawn completely in order to honour the agreement between the two countries. The issue was raised again by members of the US delegation during Trump's state visit last month, during which US technology companies announced billions in investment in UK AI infrastructure.

However, two senior UK government officials said that the US administration was no longer pressurising the UK government to withdraw the order. This suggests that Washington may view the geographically limited new demand as an acceptable compromise – although security experts warn that no real separation is technically possible.

Legal secrecy complicates debate

Neither Apple nor the British Home Office responded immediately to inquiries. Both are prohibited by law from discussing TCNs in public. It was only through a partial legal victory in April that Apple was able to ensure that the mere existence of the lawsuit and the identity of the parties could be made publi. The court found that it did not jeopardise national security.

WhatsApp had announced in June that it would support Apple in its legal battle. Meta manager Will Cathcart warned of a "dangerous precedent" that could encourage other states to ban encryption or require backdoors.

(mki)