"US Lawmakers Condemn UK's Request for Encrypted Apple Data"
Two members of the U.S. Congress have condemned Britain's request to access encrypted data from Apple's iCloud service, describing the request as "dangerous" and "short-sighted." Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Andy Biggs expressed their concerns in a letter addressed to the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, warning that this request threatens the privacy and security of American citizens.
The two politicians demanded that Britain be given an ultimatum: "Withdraw this dangerous attack on U.S. cybersecurity, or face serious consequences." They also suggested reevaluating cybersecurity cooperation arrangements and intelligence-sharing between the two countries if Britain does not back down from its request.
What Does Britain Want?
Britain's request for data emerged last week and includes all content stored using what Apple calls "Advanced Data Protection" (ADP), an encryption service that allows only the account holder to access their data, while Apple itself cannot access it. This service is optional, and not all users activate it.
The request was first reported by The Washington Post, and the BBC confirmed the news with informed sources. The UK Home Office did not comment on the matter, while Apple stated that it considers privacy a "fundamental human right."
Privacy Concerns
Senator Wyden and Representative Biggs expressed concerns that complying with this request would undermine the privacy of Americans and expose them to the risk of espionage by countries like China and Russia. They explained that Apple does not create different versions of its encryption software for each country, meaning any security vulnerabilities that arise would affect all users worldwide, including Americans.
The politicians warned that forcing Apple to create a "backdoor" in its products would weaken the security of data belonging to individuals and U.S. governments that rely on Apple products.
Reactions
Britain's request has raised concerns among security experts and privacy advocates, with Privacy International describing it as an "unprecedented attack" on individuals' data. However, the U.S. government has previously asked Apple to break its encryption in the context of criminal investigations, but the company has resisted such requests on several occasions.
Britain's Intentions
It is understood that Britain is not seeking to review all users' data but wants access to data in cases that pose a threat to national security, while adhering to the necessary legal procedures. However, Apple has previously stated that it may withdraw encryption services like ADP from the British market rather than comply with such government requests.
Similarly, WhatsApp, owned by Meta, has indicated that it may prefer to suspend its services in Britain rather than weaken message security. However, withdrawing services may not be enough to ensure compliance, as the UK's Investigatory Powers Act applies to any technology company with a market in the UK, even if it is not based there.