UK Drops Encryption Backdoor Plan: A Win for Privacy, A Loss for Spy Novels
The U.K. government has reportedly shelved plans to force Apple into creating a backdoor for encrypted data. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated the move protects American civil liberties. Apple maintained it will never build a backdoor, much to the relief of both privacy advocates and anyone who’s ever used “123456” as a password.
Hot Take:
Well, well, well! It looks like the U.K. government realized that trying to force a backdoor into Apple’s encryption was a bit like trying to sneak into Hogwarts using a broomstick—you might crash land into a heap of trouble. With the U.S. flexing its civil liberties muscles, it seems the Brits have decided to swat away their ambitious plans to peek into everyone’s iCloud. Let’s give three cheers for privacy, and a gentle ribbing to the Home Office for thinking they could outsmart both tech giants and the Constitution!
Key Points:
- The U.K. has abandoned plans to mandate Apple to create a backdoor for encrypted data access.
- U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, announced the protection of Americans’ civil liberties.
- Apple had previously disabled its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature in the U.K. due to governmental pressure.
- Google claims it didn’t receive a similar request from the U.K., and Meta denies receiving any backdoor orders.
- The Home Office’s secret order was issued under the Investigatory Powers Act in January 2025.