U.K. Backdoor Demand on Apple Sparks International Tension

U.S. officials are investigating claims that the U.K. breached bilateral agreements by demanding Apple create a backdoor into its encrypted cloud systems. Apple withdrew the feature for U.K. users, refusing the demand, which might violate the CLOUD Act designed to protect data privacy across borders.

The U.S. government is probing whether the United Kingdom violated international agreements by demanding that Apple create a backdoor into its encrypted cloud storage systems.

Last week, Apple made headlines after it decided to withdraw an encrypted storage feature for U.K. users. The tech giant refused the U.K. government's request to establish a backdoor, which would grant access to backups of user photos and messages, affecting users outside the U.K. as well.

In a February 25 letter to U.S. lawmakers, Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, disclosed that the U.S. is assessing if the U.K.'s demand breaches the CLOUD Act. This bilateral agreement prevents either country from demanding data access to the other's citizens without due process.