US secret service manager: Great Britain does not want a back door for Apple user

In the dispute over a back door for iCloud, which is legally required by the British government, there is now an agreement with Washington. This was shared by Tulsi Gabard, who serves in the Trump administration as Director of National Intelligence, i.e. secret service coordinator, on x with. For a few months now, “closely with our partners in Great Britain” have been worked on “to ensure that the private data of the Americans remain private and our constitutional rights and bourgeois freedoms remain protected”. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance were involved.

Great Britain wanted encrypted data

The result is that the United Kingdom has dropped its arrangement to Apple to make a “back door” available in its systems (specifically: iCloud). According to Gabard, this would have ensured that Great Britain could have accessed “protected encrypted data of American citizens”, an intervention in their “Civil Liberties”. Gabard initially gave no information on what the deal looks like and whether there is a consideration for it.

Previously there had been massive diplomatic upset between Washington and London around the possible iCloud back door. It was to be implemented as part of the British sniffing law UK Investigatory Powers Act, which the Social Democratic Government of Keir Starmer is also pursuing. At first, Apple had not even been able to publicly admit that the law was affected because the arrangement is secret, but then tried to defend itself legally. US President Trump had compared Great Britain’s plans to those of China. “It doesn’t work,” he said.

No information from the British government

The British Prime Minister Strait was in Washington on Monday to negotiate peace in the Ukraine War together with other European state peaks and the Ukrainian President Selensky. There was no comment from the British government of Gabbard’s X-statement. A spokeswoman only announced to the Reuters news agency that the government would “always take all the necessary measures in Germany” so that British citizens remained safe. Apple did not react at first.

The group recently switched off its encryption function Advanced Data Protection (ADP) for iCloud for British customers. The group itself has access to the necessary keys and could issue data of British citizens to authorities, provided that there are corresponding orders. Apple had always defended itself and announced that no back door would be installed in devices and encryption systems. Apple also strained legal measures to the responsible special court, the secret Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT). It is unclear whether these continue – nor is the UK to obtain data from citizens outside of America. Nothing is known about a deal with the EU.