UK officials have decided not to require Apple to provide backdoor access to its users’ data, as stated by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. This decision follows joint efforts by Gabbard, President Trump, and Vice President Vance with UK partners to uphold the privacy of American citizens and protect constitutional rights. The UK had issued a secret order earlier this year, modifying the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which allowed the government to compel companies to share data with law enforcement. Apple had reportedly disabled its Advanced Data Protection feature in response, a feature that secures iCloud data with end-to-end encryption preventing unauthorized access. This move to block the mandate has been supported by a bipartisan group of US lawmakers, who expressed concerns over potential foreign cyberattacks. Apple had also lodged a complaint with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal seeking to overturn the mandate. Currently, Apple hasn’t made an official statement regarding the mandate’s reversal. This update is crucial for data privacy advocates and underscores the importance of safeguarding civil liberties in technology use.
