UK, US hold private talks to calm Apple’s crypto hatred

British officials have held private talks with their U.S. counterparts to try to address concerns Britain has tried to force Apple to establish a backdoor for Americans to encrypt data, according to people familiar with the matter.

The advanced discussion follows Apple’s removal of the most advanced encryption security features of UK cloud data. This is a response to the British authorities’ order in January, requiring the company to bypass encryption to help them conduct certain national security and criminal investigations.

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard last month called for an investigation into the matter, raising concerns about what she called “clear and serious violations of American privacy and civil liberties.” She warned that the recommendations to the backdoor of Apple user data would also “open serious vulnerability to cyber exploitation for confrontational actors.”

Apple’s appeal to the British order will be heard at a secret hearing in London’s High Court on Friday, the BBC reported. The hearing will be held privately as it relates to security services in the UK.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment, and Gabad’s office did not comment immediately.

Behind the scenes, a dialogue was held between senior British officials, initiated by the British side to try to resolve the dispute, according to people familiar with the matter. Part of the discussion is intended to correct what the British side is saying is a false narrative claiming they are seeking broad power to access people’s communication.

British officials stressed that they do not require coverage of users’ personal data, they will only require data related to investigations into the most serious crimes, especially terrorism and child sexual abuse. People familiar with the matter say that each individual request must approve a separate warrant. They added that they will focus on the UK, not the US residents.

People say that the rights of U.S. citizens were protected in the UK and U.S. Citizens’ Data Access Agreement signed in 2019.

A spokesman for the UK Home Office said they did not comment on operations. They added: “More broadly, the UK has a long-term position in protecting our citizens from the worst crimes such as child sexual abuse and terrorism, while also having a long-term position in protecting people’s privacy.”

A British official said joint cooperation between Britain and intelligence sharing is crucial and will continue under the new U.S. government.

Apple has previously accused the British government of “unprecedented overrevealing” and claimed that “the UK can try to secretly veto new user protections around the world to prevent us from providing them to customers.”

The move to enhance its encryption capabilities (rather than complying with and building backdoors) is seen as a clear condemnation of government orders. “As we have said many times before, we have never established a backdoor or master key for any of our products or services, and we will never,” Apple said last month.

With the assistance of Natalia Drozdiak and Mark Gurman.

This article was generated from the Automation News Agency feed without the text being modified.