- UK Home Office is believed to have asked Apple to weaken iCloud encryption
- US officials are warning this could spell out a global disaster
- They’re urging the US to reconsider its relationship with the UK
US Senator Ron Wyden and Member of Congress Andy Biggs are urging the US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, to oppose the UK’s request for an iCloud backdoor.
They argue that, if Apple were to comply with the UK’s demand, it would weaken US cybersecurity, jeopardizing both citizens’ and government data.
In a letter to the newly-appointed Gabbard, the pair explain how Apple uses the same encryption software for all markets, therefore a weakened security system in the UK would negatively impact both the US and other nations.
UK’s iCloud backdoor could impact the world
With reports suggesting the UK government has ordered the iPhone maker to weaken its encryption under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, the move has been described by the pair as an effort to “facilitate government spying” – they explain how Apple is “gagged from acknowledging that it received such an order.”
They noted how “wiretapping systems” aren’t the only threat – backdoor access opens up the potential for data to be stored elsewhere, in potentially less-secure locations. Wyden and Biggs explain this is how Chinese threat actors obtained access to US Government officials’ emails during a Microsoft hack in 2023.
They write: “While the UK has been a trusted ally, the US government must not permit what is effectively a foreign cyberattack waged through political means.”
Gabbard is asked to reconsider US-UK cybersecurity arrangements and intelligence sharing if Britain does not reverse its request, and is reminded of her confirmation hearing speech, in which she said: “backdoors lead down a dangerous path that can undermine Americans' Fourth Amendment rights and civil liberties.”
Yesterday, 109 civil society organizations, companies and cybersecurity experts also signed a joint letter urging the UK Home Office to reverse its request. Signatures are being collected until February 20, when a complete list of supporters and a finalized letter will be sent to the Home Office.
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