The UK will neither confirm nor deny that it’s killing encryption
1 min read
Summary
Global governments are likely to follow the UK’s lead in demanding backdoor access to encrypted user data after Britain set what could be seen as a precedent in this regard.
The 2016 Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) allows the British government to demand that any encrypted data be turned over for national security or crime prevention reasons.
Apple removed its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature for UK users following a reported order that it provide “blanket capability to view fully encrypted material” under the IPA.
The existence of the order was leaked, with The Washington Post reporting that it is the first such notice served under the IPA since it was expanded in April 2024 to expand surveillance capabilities.
However, the fact that it was leaked means that other companies served with similar notices cannot legally acknowledge that they have received them.