UK Apple Orders to provide access to encrypted iCloud reserves

Wednesday 01 October 2025 18:21
| Updated:

Wednesday 01 October 2025 18:22

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The British government has ordered Apple to provide access to law enforcement to iCloud reserves encrypted from British users, increasing disputes that have been running for a long time over data privacy and supervision power.

This step, which was first reported by the Financial Times, followed an effort to fail earlier this year to demand global access, which triggered a sharp reaction from Washington.

In September, Home Office issued a technical capability notification (TCN) under the Investigation Powers who required Apple to make a “back door” into its cloud storage service, but limits orders to British users, according to people who are given a briefing on this problem.

A broader demand in January included US customers, attracted objections from the Donald Trump government and increasing concerns could thwart trade negotiations.

Apple attracted the safest cloud option, iCloud Advanced Data Protection, from the UK in February.

The company said on Wednesday: “We are very disappointed that the protection provided by ADP is not available to our customers in the UK given an increase in sustainable data violations and other threats to customer privacy”.

“We have never built the back door or the main key for our products or services and we will never”.

Home Office has not confirmed the existence of the notification, only saying: “We will always take all the actions needed at the domestic level to keep British citizens safe”

Both parties are legally prohibited from discussing TCN in detail.

Privacy campaigns warn the commands at risk of weakening protection throughout the world.

Caroline Wilson Palow, Director of Law at Privacy International, said: “If Apple breaks up the end to the end for Britain, it damages it to everyone. The resulting vulnerability can be exploited by hostile countries, criminals and other evil actors around the world”.

The order came when the British and the US tried to stabilize the relationship of data access.

The main figures in Trump’s government, including Vice President JD Vance and Head of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have pressured Britain to reduce previous demands.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer raised this issue with Trump during his state visit in September, although US officials no longer pushed London to withdraw the revised order.

This case is expected to return to the court of investigation strength, where Apple challenges the legality of the joint demands of groups including Liberty and Privacy International.