U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Loren

Joseph Menn, The Washington Post

Security officials in the United Kingdom have demanded that Apple create a back door allowing them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud.[…] The British government’s undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies.[…] Rather than break the security promises it made to its users everywhere, Apple is likely to stop offering encrypted storage in the U.K., the people said. Yet that concession would not fulfill the U.K. demand for backdoor access to the service in other countries, including the United States.

This is fucking crazy shit! If there’s a backdoor, hackers and cybercriminals will eventually find a way in, putting our security and privacy at serious risk. Our personal data could be stolen, leading to identity theft, financial fraud, and other attacks. It wouldn’t just be law enforcement using it—bad actors, including hackers and even foreign governments, could exploit the same weakness, violating users’ right to privacy and secure communication.