Tulsi Gabbard Slams UK's Apple Encryption Demand As 'Egregious Violation' Of Americans' Privacy, Warns Of Cyber Threats

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has condemned the United Kingdom’s demand for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to create a “backdoor” to encrypted iCloud accounts, calling it a “clear and egregious violation of Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.”

What Happened: In a letter to British lawmakers Wednesday, Gabbard warned the order would “open up a serious vulnerability for cyber exploitation by adversarial actors” and potentially violate the bilateral Cloud Act agreement between the two nations, reported The Guardian.

The dispute emerged after the UK Home Office issued a “technical capability notice” under the Investigatory Powers Act, requiring Apple to provide access to encrypted user data for law enforcement investigations. In response, Apple removed its Advanced Data Protection encryption feature entirely from the UK market.

Since February, British users attempting to activate ADP have received error messages. The feature, introduced in December 2022, had previously been available as an opt-in service for UK customers.

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Why It Matters: Apple’s decision continues its history of resisting government demands for user data access, reminiscent of its 2015 refusal to create an FBI backdoor following the San Bernardino terror attack.

Cybersecurity experts have criticized the UK government’s move. Professor Alan Woodward called it an “act of self-harm,” while privacy advocate Caro Robson noted it was unprecedented for a company to withdraw a product rather than comply with government directives.

Gabbard indicated she was unaware of the UK’s order until media reports surfaced. She has requested insights from various U.S. security agencies, including the CIA, FBI, and NSA, and said national security lawyers are working on a legal opinion regarding the implications.

Price Action: Apple’s stock closed at $240.36 on Wednesday, down 2.70%. In after-hours trading, the stock declined another 0.30%. Year to date, AAPL is down 1.43%, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.