According to sources with insight into the discussion speaking to The Washington Post, UK security chiefs have asked Apple to create a backdoor for unlocking encrypted customer accounts and downloading all content shared via iCloud.
This unprecedented order by the British government, revealed last month, demands unfettered access to fully encrypted material, not just access to specific accounts. If it were carried out, it would be a major defeat for technology companies, which have resisted for years becoming surveillance tools for governments.
Insiders say Apple will have to cease offering encrypted storage services within the UK if it actually did comply-a move that undermines the assurances on security it provides to its users.
Attempts by Reuters for a comment from Apple were unsuccessful. The office of the UK Home Secretary has issued a technical capability notice, as the document is known, compelling Apple to provide access.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We do not comment on operational matters – this would include confirming or denying the existence of any such notices.
The UK government, in January, flexed regulatory muscles as it launched a probe of the smartphone operating systems, app stores, and browsers of Apple and Google. Apple last month agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit claiming its Siri digital assistant was listening in on private conversations without users’ consent, recording unintended activations and sharing them with third parties.
