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How Apple Killed a Global Encryption Backdoor Demand
Apple just delivered a crushing blow to government surveillance overreach. The UK government secretly demanded that Apple build a permanent backdoor into iCloud encryption that would have compromised the privacy of millions of users worldwide.
This wasn't about unlocking one phone for a specific case. British authorities wanted Apple to completely redesign its Advanced Data Protection feature to give governments permanent access to encrypted photos, messages, and personal data stored in iCloud. The demand came through something called a Technical Capabilities Notice under the UK's notorious "Snoopers Charter" law.
Apple refused to comply and chose a brilliant resistance strategy instead. Rather than building backdoors, the company simply disabled advanced encryption for all new UK iCloud users. This move exposed the government's surveillance demands to public scrutiny and forced British officials to explain why their citizens deserved weaker privacy protection than users in other countries.
The turning point came when US intelligence agencies intervened. Trump administration officials, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, pressured the UK to abandon their backdoor demands. American lawmakers warned that weakening Apple's encryption would create security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by foreign adversaries and criminal hackers.
This victory proves that determined resistance against surveillance overreach actually works. Apple's willingness to accept business costs and legal risks rather than compromise user security sent a clear message to governments worldwide: backdoor demands will face fierce opposition.
The UK's humiliating retreat establishes an important precedent. Other governments considering similar surveillance demands now know they'll face significant pushback from both tech companies and international allies. While the broader war over encryption continues, Apple's successful resistance demonstrates that privacy advocates can win major battles against the surveillance state when they refuse to back down.
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00:00 Surveillance State Suffers a Setback
00:54 Most Significant Privacy Victory Since San Bernardino
01:49 UK Demands Global Backdoor Access to iCloud
02:16 The Technical Capabilities Notice Under Snoopers Charter
03:07 How the Snoopers Charter Legislation Passed
03:44 Apple Disables Advanced Data Protection in UK
05:40 Escalation Beyond the San Bernardino Case
06:38 American Intervention Proves Decisive
08:44 Congressional Warning About Foreign Cyber Attack
10:53 Why Meta and Google Received No Similar Demands
12:00 Legal Framework Enabling Government Coercion
15:07 Apple's Transparency Strategy Forces Accountability
#privacy #uk
☆-----☆-----☆-----☆-----☆ SOCIAL MEDIA ☆-----☆-----☆-----☆-----☆
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Published on 12 hours ago