Home Office orders Apple to let it access users’ encrypted files – report

The Government has ordered Apple to allow it to access encrypted files uploaded to the cloud by any Apple user worldwide, it has been reported.

The Washington Post said the Home Office issued the order last month under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, which enables authorities to compel assistance from companies when it needs to collect evidence.

It said the order asked for blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not just assistance in accessing a specific account.

The Home Office and Apple have been approached for comment, although legally, the order notice cannot be made public.

For years, Apple has promoted the privacy settings it provides its users as standard, as well as offering users an additional, opt-in, Advanced Data Protection tool to fully encrypt a wider range of their data in its iCloud service.

The company has frequently said it regards privacy as a “fundamental human right” and says its system means no one else can access a user’s data, not even Apple itself.

According to the Washington Post report, sources said Apple may choose to stop offering encrypted storage in the UK rather than break its security pledges to users.

But the report warned this would not fulfil the Government’s demand for broad access in other countries, as the Investigatory Powers Act applies globally to any firm with a UK market, even if they are not based there.

Under the law, Apple can appeal against the UK’s order, but cannot delay its application even during the appeal process.

Police and security services around the world have pushed for more access to encrypted communications in recent years, warning that it allows criminals such as terrorists and child abusers to more easily hide and hampers their efforts to catch them.

In response, tech firms have argued that users have a right to privacy and that any backdoors into software created for intelligence and security services could also be exploited by criminals or authoritarian regimes.

The interim director of privacy at civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, Rebecca Vincent, said: “We are extremely troubled by reports that the UK Government has ordered Apple to create a backdoor that would effectively break encryption for millions of users – an unprecedented attack on privacy rights that has no place in any democracy.

“Big Brother Watch has been ringing alarm bells about the possibility of precisely this scenario since the adoption of the Investigatory Powers Bill in 2016.

“We all want the Government to be able to effectively tackle crime and terrorism, but breaking encryption will not make us safer.

“Instead it will erode the fundamental rights and civil liberties of the entire population – and it will not stop with Apple.

“We urge the UK Government to immediately rescind this draconian order and cease attempts to employ mass surveillance in lieu of the targeted powers already at their disposal.”