The United Kingdom has issued a secret order to Apple. It wants the corporation to build a backdoor for Britain’s security services that it could use to access the cloud accounts of any iPhone user across the planet.

As first reported by The Washington Post, Britain issued the order in secret last month. The U.K. isn’t looking to root around in a specific account for a specific security reason. No, it wants free access to all a user’s encrypted material, full stop. The U.K is making the demand under a 2016 law called the Investigatory Powers Act, derisively known as the Snooper’s Charter.

  • magnetosphere@fedia.io
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    4 hours ago

    The United Kingdom has issued a secret order to Apple.

    If they’re so bad at keeping secrets that anyone can read all about them within a month, then they have no business ordering anyone to create software backdoors.

  • mrodri89@lemmy.zip
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    1 hour ago

    That’s weird coming from the UK. Expect that to be an American thing.

  • elgordino@fedia.io
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    8 hours ago

    As a British person I hope Apple pulls all iCloud services including iMessage and FaceTime, rather than comply with this demand. It’s the only way the public will notice.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    Ahh, the good old government backdoor. Maybe they should ask the Americans how well that went with their telco equipment…

  • JelloBrains@lemmy.zip
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    6 hours ago

    Global access is wild, basically it means if the UK could force this that any five eyes country would then have the same access without needing to look bad to their citizens.

    Also, how hard do we expect Apple to fight this? I have a hard time believing they would just pull out of the UK but I could be wrong. From what I understand China has this type of access because they don’t allow E2EE.

    • pelespirit@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      6 hours ago

      Global access is wild, basically it means if the UK could force this that any five eyes country would then have the same access without needing to look bad to their citizens.

      Doesn’t the US already have that backdoor? From what you’re saying, the UK probably already has access? Not attacking, sincerely asking.

      • JelloBrains@lemmy.zip
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        6 hours ago

        As far as I know Apple didn’t give in, Trump and the FBI wanted it during his first term but I don’t think it happened. At least I hope it didn’t.

  • Autonomous User@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    Only possible as iOS fails to include a libre software license text file. We do not control it, anti-libre software.