It looks like mega corporation Apple has succeeded in getting Great Britain to yield. Britain has dropped its demand for the iPhone-maker to provide a “backdoor” that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said.
Cybersecurity experts told Reuters that if Apple chose to build a backdoor for a government, that backdoor would eventually be found and exploited by hackers.
In early 2025, the UK government formally requested that Apple create a backdoor into its encrypted systems, specifically targeting Apple’s Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature for iCloud. This feature provides end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only users can access their own data—meaning not even Apple can read it. The UK government wanted this backdoor to enable law enforcement and intelligence agencies to access user data for national security and crime prevention purposes.
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This demand sparked major concerns from privacy advocates, cybersecurity experts, and tech companies alike. The idea of building intentional vulnerabilities into encryption systems is controversial because it can weaken overall security, potentially exposing all users’ data to hackers or foreign adversaries.
In response to the UK’s request, Apple took the drastic step of disabling ADP for UK users in early 2025, effectively rolling back a major privacy enhancement to comply with government pressure.
Gabbard issued the statement on X on Monday in the U.S., saying she had worked for months with Britain, along with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, to arrive at a deal.
This development is seen as a win for privacy advocates and a reflection of the complex balance between national security interests and individual privacy rights in the digital era.For consumers, this outcome is largely a win for data privacy. It underscores the importance of strong encryption in protecting sensitive personal information from unauthorized access—not only from governments but also from hackers and cybercriminals. By maintaining end-to-end encryption, Apple continues to ensure that user data remains secure and accessible only to its rightful owners, preventing potential exploitation of vulnerabilities that a backdoor could introduce.
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The UK’s withdrawal signals a recognition of these risks and the growing influence of privacy advocates and cybersecurity experts who warn against compromising encryption standards.
A spokesperson for the British government said on Tuesday that while they would not comment on any agreement, Britain had long worked with the U.S. to tackle security threats while seeking to protect the privacy of citizens in both countries.
“We will always take all actions necessary at the domestic level to keep UK citizens safe,” the spokesperson added.