UK government demands access to Apple users' encrypted data

The British government has asked Apple to create a mechanism that would allow the UK to access users' encrypted data.

Specifically, British officials have asked Apple to create a "backdoor" in its encrypted cloud storage service, allowing the British government to collect highly secure data from Apple users, the Washington Post reported on February 7.

The proposal, put forward by the UK Home Office in January, invokes the Investigative Powers Act (IPA), which requires companies to assist in providing evidence to law enforcement.

Apple logo at a train station in the US.

The UK's latest move could lead to conflicts and disputes with Apple and tech companies in general over user privacy and security. London wants access to Apple's Advanced Data Protection (ADP) service, which stores users' personal data in the cloud. ADP uses end-to-end encryption, meaning only the account owner can unlock and access the data.

Apple has not commented on the latest move by the British government. However, in a filing to the British Parliament last year, the American technology company expressed concerns about the IPA Act, saying that it allows the government to secretly issue orders requiring service providers to create ways to access user data without the data owners' knowledge.

Apple asserts that privacy is one of the core values ​​the company strives for, adding that the ADP service "has been lauded by journalists and tech experts, who see it as an invaluable safeguard for private data."

Alan Woodward, a professor of cybersecurity at the University of Surrey (UK), believes the debate over encryption seems endless and each side has its own arguments. If Apple accepts the proposal from the British government, they will damage their own reputation, The Guardian quoted Woodward as saying.

Apple is currently open to refusing cooperation and may remove key safety features from the UK market, but this would not be enough to satisfy the demands of the UK government, which also wants access to data from users operating in other countries. It is unclear what action the UK will take if Apple does not cooperate as requested.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chinh-phu-anh-yeu-cau-tiep-can-du-lieu-ma-hoa-cua-nguoi-dung-apple-185250209083252264.htm