consented to drop its insistence for Apple to provide a “back door” to its encrypted data. Nonetheless, a fresh document indicates that the UK government sought access to even fundamental iCloud data. The Financial Times stated that although the U.S. has asserted its success in persuading the British government otherwise, the initial demand for Apple users’ data was more critical than initially perceived.
Based on a legal document reviewed by the outlet, the UK government aimed for access to users’ encrypted information as well as Apple’s conventional iCloud service. This court filing was issued by an unbiased judicial entity addressing complaints about UK security matters.
While Apple has warned of discontinuing iCloud services in the area, which would lead to the loss of FaceTime and iMessage functions, the company had already removed the optional additional layer of encryption, known as the Advanced Data Protection feature, from UK users in February.
José Adorno/BGR
As per the Financial Times, Apple got a communication from the UK Home Office several months back, which barred the company from publicly discussing the data request. However, the UK has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of this directive.
The request made to Apple reveals that the government was not only addressing the Advanced Data Protection feature, but also the standard iCloud service. The phrasing included
