The UK Home Office is demanding that Apple provide the government backdoor access to users’ encrypted data. Not only are they interested in accessing data on British citizens, but the government has stated it needs access to ALL encrypted iCloud data worldwide on the premise of national security and public safety.
The Home Secretary’s office believes the U.K. Investigatory Powers Act of 2016 legally authorizes law enforcement to obtain communications data on the premise of collecting evidence, as the government has deemed everyone a potential threat. Governments do not want the people to have end-to-end encryption that they cannot access.
The Advanced Data Protection program launched by Apple in 2022 provides users with the ability to safely keep their data. Users must enable the service, but it prevents even Apple from having backdoor encryption keys. Edward Snowden warned that the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and NSA successfully hacked all iPhones, Androids, and Blackberry devices. The FBI in the United States tried to prevent Apple from launching this program during Trump’s first term, stating it prevented them from properly investigating crimes. The FBI also demanded that Apple provide it with backdoor access back in 2016 after the 2015 release of the iOS 9 that the government could not easily access.
US intelligence cited the San Bernadino mass shooting incident as an example of why the government must have access to user data. One of the shooters owned an iPhone 5C and the FBI and NSA claimed it could not access the device. The US government and Apple battled in court over the FBI’s insistence that Apple create “GovtOS” to override any encryption measures. The government attempted to use the All Writs Act to force Apple into compliance.
The legal battle came to a halt in March 2016 when the FBI stated it found a way to bypass Apple’s encryption. Former FBI Director James Comey confirmed that the government purchased a hacking tool from a third party but offered no details. The government no longer needed Apply to comply. By 2020, it was estimated that law enforcement used said tool to access over 2,000 devices. But Apple continued to improve its encryption measures since then.
Governments everywhere are becoming more authoritarian as sentiment changes and anti-government sentiment grows. Messaging devices, social media, and any platform where people can freely connect must be under government control. The UK is part of the Five Eyes (FVEY) alliance with the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. If one gains access to ALL user data, rest assured that the other four will also have access. Snowden warned the public of this back in 2013. There are programs such as TEMPORA that permit UK and US intelligence to intercept communications through undersea fiber-optic cables. There have been ongoing programs aimed at obtaining data access without the need for warrants or surveillance laws. Whether Apple or any tech company complies is not really of concern, as the government can and will find a way to spy on citizens worldwide.
