LONDON - The British government has dropped its demand that Apple provide a "backdoor" to access user data, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said. As Reuters reported, the British side has formally abandoned the plan, which had sparked a fierce backlash not only in the technology sector but also in the political arena in the United States.
"In recent months, I have worked closely with our partners in the UK, along with [the President and Vice President], to ensure that Americans' private data remains private and that our constitutional rights and civil liberties are protected," Gabbard wrote on X.
Tensions between Apple and the UK government began in February when the tech company announced it would stop offering its highest level of end-to-end encryption, known as Advanced Data Protection, in the UK. As the Associated Press recalled, this happened shortly after the Home Office issued a so-called technical capability notice under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
This law, long referred to by critics as the "Snooper's Charter", obliges companies to allow access to data in the event of an investigation. Apple responded by taking the matter to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal and challenging the very power of the Home Secretary to issue such a notice.
According to the Financial Times, it is this legal dispute that has become a stumbling block in negotiations on a new technology cooperation agreement between the UK and the US. The newspaper also reported that pressure was being exerted on London by senior US officials, including Vice President JD Vance.
At the same time, the U.S. State Department released its annual human rights assessment. As reported by The Verge, the document expressed concerns about government regulation aimed at "limiting or eliminating effective encryption (and thus user privacy) on platforms" in the UK. While the assessment partially conflated the Online Security Act with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, it nonetheless reinforced criticism that UK policy could undermine citizens' right to privacy.
Apple has taken a clear stance on the situation. The company stressed that it has "never built a backdoor and never will". According to a company statement quoted by Apple Support, it was "deeply disappointing" that UK users could not turn on Advanced Data Protection, which protects their photos, messages and other private data from unauthorised access. Apple warned that any mechanism for the government would inevitably have global implications, as any "master key" to encryption would be targeted by hackers and authoritarian regimes alike.
Apple's concerns have been confirmed by cybersecurity experts. As pointed out by ITPro, Charlotte Wilson of Check Point Software called the whole case "very significant" because once there is a universal way to break encryption, it cannot be safely kept just for the use of investigators. The Electronic Frontier Foundation made a similar point, noting that creating a backdoor in one country effectively puts users around the world at risk.
Civic initiatives have also entered the dispute. The Internet Society and the Open Rights Group, as the Internet Society itself said in its July statement, presented evidence to the court on how weakening encryption would undermine user trust in cloud services and introduce new vulnerabilities into digital infrastructure.
The British decision to withdraw the request is therefore seen as a significant win for privacy. However, as TechRadar adds, experts warn that the Investigatory Powers Act remains in force and the government may resort to similar steps again in the future.
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