The U.K.’s office of the Home Secretary has allegedly asked Apple to provide a backdoor into any material any user has uploaded to iCloud worldwide, The Washington Post reported on Feb. 7. Anonymous sources provided The Washington Post the information and expressed concerns about tech companies being leveraged for government surveillance.

Apple has not commented; however, in March, the company provided a statement to Parliament on the occasion of receiving notice of a potential request, saying “There is no reason why the U.K. [government] should have the authority to decide for citizens of the world whether they can avail themselves of the proven security benefits that flow from end-to-end encryption.

UK government request falls under 2016 law enforcement act

The office of the Home Secretary acted under the U.K. Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, which enables law enforcement to force companies to comply with demands for access if that access is part of a search for evidence. Specifically, the office served Apple with a technical capability notice.

A consultant advising the U.S. government on matters related to encryption called the U.K.’s request “shocking,” according to The Washington Post.

“If implemented, the directive will create a dangerous cybersecurity vulnerability in the nervous system of our global economy,” Meredith Whittaker, president of the encrypted messenger nonprofit organization Signal, told The Washington Post.

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Source : https://www.techrepublic.com/article/uk-apple-encryption-icloud/