The United Kingdom has dropped its demand for special access to Apple’s cloud systems, or a “backdoor,” following negotiations with the Trump administration. This update comes from U.S. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard. She stated that as a result of these talks, the U.K. has agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a backdoor that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens. Gabbard claimed this access would have encroached on civil liberties. She also noted that she worked alongside President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance during the negotiations.
This development is the latest in a months-long saga where the British government secretly demanded Apple grant its authorities access to the encrypted data of iCloud users worldwide. This demand specifically targeted users who enabled Advanced Data Protection, or ADP, which is an opt-in security feature. ADP activates end-to-end encryption for iCloud, meaning only the user can access their files stored on Apple’s cloud servers. The legal demand was made under the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, also known as the Snoopers’ Charter.
The existence of this demand was first reported by The Washington Post in February. The request sparked outrage and condemnation from privacy and security experts around the world. Critics argued that if the U.K. government had obtained what it wanted, it would have weakened privacy for everyone and opened the door for other governments to make similar demands of other companies.
In response to the initial mandate, Apple removed the Advanced Data Protection feature for users in the U.K., meaning new users could not turn it on. The company also said it would give guidance to existing users who would eventually need to disable the security feature. Apple reportedly challenged the backdoor mandate in court. The case was initially secret but was later ruled to be held in public.
Apple and the U.K. Home Office, which initiated the demand on behalf of the British government, did not respond to requests for comment. Olivia Coleman, the press secretary of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, referred to a February letter to Sen. Wyden and Rep. Biggs. Apple has previously stated that it has never built a backdoor or master key to any of its products or services and that it never will.