Business
London threatens withdrawal in dispute with Washington over Apple's cloud encryption
The United Kingdom threatens to withdraw from the dispute with Apple in order not to jeopardize the US technology agreement and AI cooperation.
The conflict between the British government and the Trump administration over access to Apple's encrypted cloud services is escalating. According to two senior government officials in London, the Home Office will likely have to withdraw its demand from Apple to avoid jeopardizing relations with Washington and future technology deals.
In January, the British Home Office compelled Apple with a so-called Technical Capability Notice under the Investigatory Powers Act to install a "backdoor" in its most secure cloud system to enable access for investigative authorities. Apple refused the order, withdrew its service from Britain, and filed a lawsuit with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
The Home Office's move is meeting significant resistance in the USA. US Vice President JD Vance has reportedly made it clear that London's approach is causing massive irritation in Washington. A British official said, "This is something that is greatly angering the Vice President and must be resolved. Essentially, the Home Office will have to backtrack.
In addition to political risks, economic consequences also loom. The British government is relying on closer digital cooperation with the USA in areas such as AI and the data economy. However, the encryption issue is considered a red flag in Washington. "This complicates any partnership," according to a government representative.
There is disagreement within the British government about the next steps. While the Home Office continues its course before the tribunal, there are internal voices calling for a quick end to the dispute. A senior official spoke of a "problem that the Home Office has created for itself," and that they are now "looking for a way out.
Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it has never created backdoors for authorities and will not do so in the future. The company receives support from Meta subsidiary WhatsApp, which has joined the lawsuit.
US President Donald Trump had already criticized the British stance in February and drew comparisons with authoritarian states. US Intelligence Coordinator Tulsi Gabbard also warned of a breach of the bilateral data agreement.
The Ministry of the Interior defends its actions by citing terrorism and abuse investigations and emphasizes that such measures would only be applied in exceptional cases.
