UK drops Apple encryption demand after U.S. pressure
The UK has dropped its demand that Apple build a secret back door into its encrypted systems, ending a tense fight with Washington that threatened to spiral into a major diplomatic mess.
This retreat followed weeks of private talks with senior U.S. officials under President Donald Trump’s administration, according to the Financial Times.
The British order, issued in January under the UK Investigatory Powers Act, tried to force Apple to give UK authorities access to customer data stored in iCloud. The order ran straight into the Trump White House’s wall, triggering a full-on pushback led by Vice President JD Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Vance confronted UK officials, Gabbard confirms deal
While visiting the UK on vacation, Vance stepped in personally to block the enforcement of the order. A U.S. official said, “The vice-president negotiated a mutually beneficial understanding that the UK government will withdraw the current back-door order to Apple.”
Vance, who’s repeatedly accused European nations of attacking American companies and limiting speech, saw the UK’s approach as one more example of overreach.
Tulsi confirmed the reversal, saying the UK had “agreed to drop” its demand that Apple allow access to “the protected encrypted data of American citizens.” She told the Financial Times, “Over the past few months, I’ve been working closely with our partners in the UK, alongside President Trump and vice-president Vance, to ensure Americans’ private data remains private and our constitutional rights and civil liberties are protected.”
Tulsi added, “I’m happy to share that 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.”
The situation, now described by one UK official as “settled,” hasn’t yet been closed on paper. The order has not been formally withdrawn, though three UK officials confirmed the matter is resolved. Another said London had “caved” to pressure from Trump’s team. A British official added bluntly, “We can’t and we won’t make Apple break its encryption.”
Apple pulled service, filed legal complaint, and stayed silent
As this dragged on, Apple didn’t just sit back. In February, the company yanked iCloud Advanced Data Protection from the UK. At the time, it said, “As we have said many times before, we have never built a back door or master key to any of our products or services and we never will.”
The company also filed a legal challenge with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, and the case is expected to go to court early next year. On Monday, Apple declined to comment.
The original notice sent to Apple is still sealed under British law. Both sides are banned from speaking publicly about it. Still, the UK’s move sparked the biggest fight over encryption since the 2010s, throwing Apple’s no-backdoor stance straight into the political spotlight.
Even though the UK pulled back, it’s unclear whether it’ll try again under different legal language. Someone close to Trump’s inner circle said doing that would break the agreement. “Any back door would weaken protections for U.S. citizens,” they said.
The UK Investigatory Powers Act gives British law enforcement reach far beyond its borders. Technically, it lets them demand data from Apple even if the user is in the U.S. Critics call the law a “snooper’s charter.” UK authorities defend it as a tool to fight terrorism and child abuse.
This latest reversal shows how much Prime Minister Keir Starmer is trying to stay aligned with the U.S., especially as he looks to dodge Trump’s economic retaliation and keep support flowing for Ukraine.
The UK Home Office refused to confirm or deny the original notice, sticking to vague language. It pointed to the existing Data Access Agreement between the UK and U.S., which lets both governments request data from each other’s telecom companies, but with rules to stop either side from targeting the other’s citizens.
“We will continue to build on those arrangements,” the Home Office said, “and we will also continue to take all actions necessary at the domestic level to keep UK citizens safe.”
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