The UK government has reportedly abandoned its demand for a “backdoor” into Apple’s encrypted systems, following months of intense pressure from tech giants, privacy advocates, and international allies..
The decision marks a significant shift in a long-running dispute that saw Apple remove its “Advanced Data Protection” feature for UK users in February, a move widely interpreted as a protest against the government’s previous stance. The controversy stemmed from a secret “technical capability notice” issued under the Investigatory Powers Act, which would have compelled the company to provide access to users’ encrypted data on a broad scale.
The news was announced by the US Director of National Intelligence and shared by Tulsi Gabbard on X. She stated that the UK had agreed to drop its instruction to Apple, which they claimed would have given the government access to the protected data of American citizens and threatened civil liberties.
The BBC reported that Apple has not yet received any official communication from either the US or UK governments regarding the change. A UK government spokesperson declined to comment on the matter, but highlighted the UK’s intelligence-sharing agreements with the US for combating serious threats like terrorism and child abuse.
The dispute began in December when the UK issued a formal notice to Apple under the Investigatory Powers Act, demanding access to its encrypted user data. Apple responded by withdrawing its toughest security feature, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), from the UK market and initiating a legal challenge against the order, which was due to be heard in early 2026.
The move in brief
The demand was issued under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, which grants the Home Office the power to require telecommunications companies to provide capabilities to assist with warrants. Critics often refer to the law as the “Snooper’s Charter.”
What it would have meant: The notice would have required Apple to create a “backdoor” into its end-to-end encrypted services, including iCloud backups, making user data accessible to UK law enforcement.
Key players and their stance:
- UK Government: Argued that access was necessary for national security, to fight terrorism, and to combat child sexual abuse.
- Apple: Firmly opposed the demand, stating it would be technically impossible to create a backdoor for “good guys” only, thereby weakening security for all users.
- Privacy Advocates: Warned that the move would set a dangerous global precedent, making UK citizens and services vulnerable to cybercriminals and hostile states.
- US Intelligence: The US Director of National Intelligence announced the UK’s reversal, citing concerns about the policy’s impact on the privacy of American citizens.
Previous Action: In February, Apple responded to the demand by withdrawing its “Advanced Data Protection” feature for new UK users, a service that provides end-to-end encryption for iCloud data.
Current Status: While the specific demand on Apple has been dropped, the legal powers under the Investigatory Powers Act remain on the books. This leaves the door open for future governments to issue similar notices.
The news has been welcomed by cybersecurity experts across the industry.
Andy McKay, CEO of Converged Communication Solutions, said: “This proposal from the UK government received significant pushback because of its wider implications.
While the intention of the backdoor was to more easily track criminals and terrorists, it also damaged the privacy and security of all Apple users.
Backdoors can’t only be embedded into specific products, or localised for specific governments, such a move would have impacted Apple’s full suite, directly hitting all users while defacing the security of its products.
Furthermore, with an opportunity to gain access to data stored on all Apple devices, criminals would have worked determinedly to find the backdoor. Eventually they would have succeeded. Given that Apple devices are widely used by organisations and in highly sensitive government departments, criminals and nation-state actors could have been offered a goldmine of information.
While Apple no longer offers Advanced Encryption in the UK, which will significantly hurt users in the country, adding a backdoor would have had global consequences, which is a risk Apple and the US government were clearly not willing to take.
It is therefore positive, but not entirely surprising, that the UK has backed down with its demands.”
Nathan Webb, principal consultant, Acumen Cyber, said: “This was one of the most controversial moves from the UK government that received significant backlash around the world.
“This is not the first demand Apple had received to build a backdoor into encryption capabilities and was portrayed as protective measure to gain intelligence on criminals and terrorists.
“Apple noted that the encryption technologies used meant even they themselves could not access user data encrypted with the Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature. Campaigners and other governments said a backdoor in this feature would threaten security and privacy for all Apple users.
“The theoretical consequences of Apple building a backdoor would have been global, likely resulting in increased targeting of UK Apple users and services. Instead, Apple refused to implement such a mechanism and removed the ability of enabling ADP for UK customers, meaning data from certain Apple services could no longer be end-to-end encrypted.
“Given that nearly 50% of the UK utilise Apple mobile devices, and likely make use of an impacted Apple iCloud service (for example, Photos, Reminders and Notes), providing the UK government access to this data had the potential to result in a data breach on a scale the world has never experienced before.
Given the potential risks, and the UK government’s apparent prioritisation of cyber, it’s surprising such a request was made in the first place.
Fortunately, now that the government has backed down, the feature will hopefully be made re-available, so that UK users can benefit from the advanced protections of end-to-end encryption.”
