The UK Government has dropped its attempt to require Apple to create a “back door” in its encryption systems, following months of legal and diplomatic challenges.
The request, issued in January under a confidential order, demanded access to encrypted files stored in Apple’s iCloud service in the name of national security.
In response, Apple suspended new UK sign-ups to its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature, which offers end-to-end encryption and contested the order in court.
Earlier this year, US officials started examining whether the UK order had violated the bilateral CLOUD Act agreement, which bars the UK and US from issuing demands for each other’s data.
By April, the company had secured the right to file an appeal with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in London.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed that the warrant had been withdrawn.
“Over the past few months, I’ve been working closely with our partners in the UK, alongside POTUS [President of US Donald Trump] and VP [Vice President JD Vance], to ensure Americans’ private data remains private and our Constitutional rights and civil liberties are protected,” Gabbard said on X on August 19.
“As a result, the UK has agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a ‘back door’ that would have enabled access to the protected, encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberties,” she added.
A British Government spokesperson said on August 19 that the UK would not comment on any specific agreement but said that “the government will continue to take all necessary measures at the national level to ensure the safety of people in the UK”.
Privacy advocates warned that any government-mandated back door could ultimately be exploited by malicious actors.
The outcome marks the ongoing tension between national security objectives and personal privacy rights.
The European Commission has also set its eye on encryption.
On April 1, it presented its new internal security strategy, Protect EU.
A central element of the plan is a “technology roadmap” on encryption, which considers ways for law enforcement agencies to gain access to encrypted communications.
Supporters argued the measure would streamline investigations by reducing reliance on judicial warrants, which require probable cause and evidence of criminal activity.
Critics, though, have cautioned that such a move could seriously weaken digital security.
