UK orders Apple to enable access to encrypted iCloud backups

The U.K. Home Office issued an order in early September requiring Apple to build a means for officials to access encrypted iCloud backups belonging to British users, people briefed on the matter said, reopening a longrunning dispute over encrypted cloud data and government surveillance powers.

The notice, issued under the Investigatory Powers Act, is said to be limited to accounts tied to U.K. citizens. It follows an earlier technical capability notice from January that sought access to encrypted backups worldwide and prompted objections from senior U.S. officials. That initial demand prompted Apple to remove its Advanced Data Protection option from the U.K. in February, a move the company said deprived British customers of stronger protections against data breaches.

Apple reiterated its longstanding stance in a statement, saying, "We have never built a back door or master key to any of our products or services and we never will," and adding it was "gravely disappointed" that Advanced Data Protection remains unavailable in the U.K. The Home Office declined to confirm the existence of the specific notice, citing legal restrictions on discussing operational matters, and said it...