UK Still Demanding Global Access to iCloud User Data, Filings Suggest

[MacRumors]

The UK government's secret demand for Apple to create backdoor access to encrypted user data was far broader than previously known, reports the Financial Times. British officials didn't just want to break Apple's Advanced Data Protection feature, but sought to tap a swathe of standard iCloud services used by millions worldwide.

New court filings published on Wednesday by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPC) show the Home Office's technical capability notice (TCN) "is not limited to" Apple's Advanced Data Protection feature, reports the FT. The order also included requirements for Apple to "provide and maintain a capability to disclose categories of data stored within a cloud-based backup service," suggesting the UK wanted access to backed-up messages and passwords.

Perhaps most significantly, the court document states that "the obligations included in the TCN are not limited to the UK or users of the service in the UK; they apply globally in respect of the relevant data categories of all iCloud users."

The revelation comes after Trump administration officials claimed last week that the UK had agreed to drop its encryption demands following pressure from the U.S. director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and vice president JD Vance. However, the new filing suggests the Home Office has yet to formally modify or rescind its global data access demands.

Apple withdrew its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature from UK customers in February after receiving the secret government order, but the court documents imply this was only the tip of the iceberg. ADP provides end-to-end encryption for additional iCloud categories like Photos, Notes, and device backups, while standard iCloud already encrypts data in transit and at rest but allows Apple to access it with proper legal requests.

The case is arguably the most significant encryption battle since Apple's 2016 fight with the FBI over unlocking the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone. Apple has consistently maintained that creating backdoors would compromise security for all users and inevitably be exploited by malicious actors.

The IPC will hear Apple's legal challenge in open court early next year, although the UK government refuses to confirm or deny the existence of the Home Office order. The court has agreed to proceed based on "assumed facts" to avoid participants violating the Official Secrets Act.

One person familiar with the case told FT they were "still very concerned this is still going on," despite public statements from U.S. officials about the UK backing down.

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Article Link: UK Still Demanding Global Access to iCloud User Data, Filings Suggest

 

[MacUserFella]

I thought we already told them no?

 

[thiscatisfat]

I just recently found out that the UK gov actually put a gag order on Apple to keep the gov's request a secret. I love how Apple went public with it and not only that, but they also sued UK's gov. I love it.

UK's gov is an absolutely disgusting poopshow for the lack of better words.

 

[okkibs]

You can get arrested for wearing the wrong shirt in the UK now. This is merely par for the course.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Who would have thought that not every action by a government (e.g., U.K., EU, etc.) to change the software of a major company is in the best interest of consumers? We are all shocked!

That’s not to say that all that companies do are in the best interests of the consumers, but just because a government is doing something and has rationale for it, even good rationale, doesn’t inherently make it the right thing to do.

 

[macbookj0e]

I just recently found out that the UK gov actually put a gag order on Apple to keep the gov's request a secret. I love how Apple went public with it and not only that, but they also sued UK's gov. I love it.

UK's gov is an absolutely disgusting poopshow for the lack of better words.

Agreed but it’s the whole of the western world following an Orwellian future, not just the uk.

 

[SanderEvers]

The UK wants global access to all users data. They can't do that, I am not in the UK nor am I a citizen of the UK. They have 0 rights to my data. I hope Apple wins this.

 

[bydandie]

You can get arrested for wearing the wrong shirt in the UK now. This is merely par for the course.

Not true, but never mind

 

[bydandie]

I just recently found out that the UK gov actually put a gag order on Apple to keep the gov's request a secret. I love how Apple went public with it and not only that, but they also sued UK's gov. I love it.

UK's gov is an absolutely disgusting poopshow for the lack of better words.

Whilst I agree with Apple's stance, there are many worse governments

 

[thiscatisfat]

Not true, but never mind

In UK you can get arrested for saying "You can get arrested for wearing the wrong shirt in the UK now. This is merely par for the course." on the internet Or saying anything against the government in general. No? It was on the internet

 

[Luap]

Not true, but never mind

Protester arrested over ‘Plasticine Action’ T-shirt: ‘How ridiculous is this?’

Miles Pickering says crowd at protest over Palestine Action ban was laughing at ‘silliness’ of scene as he was detained

www.theguardian.com

 

[thiscatisfat]

Whilst I agree with Apple's stance, there are many worse governments

That's such a UK (and even Irish I'd say) thing to say, sorry "Yeah it's bad but there's worse, so...". Like, we're talking about the UK's government now, not the many worse governments. Of course there are worse governments, there's always a bigger fish, of course, but how is it relevant now? Yea the roads are bad sure but have you ever been to Baghdad...

 

[insomniac86]

Whilst I agree with Apple's stance, there are many worse governments

Ah the good old fallacy of relative privation.

 

[Starfia]

Wonderful to hear the UK government has once again agreed to produce ominous legal requirements using pure cane sugar instead of refined corn syrup. Thank you, President Trump!

 

[Johnny London]

This is an interesting insight about how deep the state and companies like Apple are already involved in spying:

 

[ttyRazor]

I just recently found out that the UK gov actually put a gag order on Apple to keep the gov's request a secret. I love how Apple went public with it and not only that, but they also sued UK's gov. I love it.

UK's gov is an absolutely disgusting poopshow for the lack of better words.

Technically Apple themselves haven’t said anything. The law comes with severe criminal penalties for anyone who receives an order from it even saying they got one. Even when they pulled Advanced Data Protection from the UK they never acknowledged why they were doing it. Everything about this is coming from whistleblowers and people outside of Apple, not anyone at Apple themselves, at least on the record.

 

[William Gates]

This story should blow up today.

I just recently found out that the UK gov actually put a gag order on Apple to keep the gov's request a secret. I love how Apple went public with it and not only that, but they also sued UK's gov. I love it.

UK's gov is an absolutely disgusting poopshow for the lack of better words.

It sounds like the story originally leaked from inside the UK govt fwiw.

 

[cyanite]

while standard iCloud already encrypts data in transit and at rest but allows Apple to access it with proper legal requests.

This isn’t really true in general. Some iCloud data is always end to end protected, some depends on various other settings and some can be accessed by Apple.

For example, health data is always end to end. Messages are end to end if iCloud backup is turned off (note that the backup doesn’t contain the messages).

 

[Hajj.david]

Not true, but never mind

It is absolutely true and has been for a long time. If I walk around wearing a swaitika on my shirt I will be arrested for offensive language / offensive behavior in minutes. Now it is openly apparent with hundreds of examples of people being arrested for nothing.

 

[ifxf]

UK is a member of Five Eyes. They are acting as front man and will share all the data with the rest of the countries once they gain access.

 

[JoshuaBru]

Man the UK government is getting ALOT of bad publicity recently

 

[cyanite]

I thought we already told them no?

Who is “we”?

You can get arrested for wearing the wrong shirt in the UK now. This is merely par for the course.

You probably can in the US as well now :/

 

[ttyRazor]

I thought we already told them no?

If the Trump Administration said the sky was blue, I’d at least check outside for a sunset.

 

[Pezimak]

I just recently found out that the UK gov actually put a gag order on Apple to keep the gov's request a secret. I love how Apple went public with it and not only that, but they also sued UK's gov. I love it.

UK's gov is an absolutely disgusting poopshow for the lack of better words.

Actually Apple did not go public, it was the courts that did I believe? And this requirement is set in the law so it isn’t a new thing, the law they are using to access the data is recent though but the requirement for it to not be disclosed is a requirement of that law also not an addition. And Apple has not sued anyone either. The UK government dropped its request. But this story highlights how in other areas it is still requesting it, apparently.

This is nothing though really in terms of what the British government is doing these days to the British people, but that is out of scope for here.

 

[antiprotest]

But that likely also includes confidential business and tech secrets, state secrets, etc. It is irrelevant to say that one might not want to put the most important secrets on iCloud -- it is simply inevitable that a lot of them are on there.

It's like an act of war on every other nation in the world.