UK Withdraws Demand for Apple Backdoor on US Data

The UK government has withdrawn its controversial demand for Apple to provide a backdoor to encrypted data, a move confirmed by U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard following months of negotiations involving President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The order, issued under the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act in January, had required Apple to disable its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature for iCloud users, effectively allowing UK agencies access to encrypted user data, including that of American citizens. Apple responded to the initial demand by removing ADP from the UK market and legally challenging the order, emphasizing its commitment to user privacy and encryption without backdoors. The UK government has stated it will continue to take necessary actions to protect its citizens but acknowledged it cannot force Apple to create a backdoor, which was seen as a win for privacy advocates. This development highlights ongoing tensions between government surveillance powers and tech companies’ privacy protections, and may set a precedent for how such conflicts are handled internationally. While Apple has yet to restore ADP in the UK, the withdrawal of the demand ensures American users' encrypted data remains protected.