Donald Trump likened the UK government’s demand that Apple, opens new tab grant it access to some user data as “something that you hear about with China”
US President Donald Trump is not happy with the UK government’s demand to Apple to provide a technical “back door” to access user data. In a recent interview with UK-based magazine ‘The Spectator’, the US President Donald Trump criticized the UK government’s request for Apple to grant access to certain user data, comparing it to practices commonly associated with China.
He conveyed this sentiment to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during their meeting at the White House earlier this week, where they also discussed topics like Ukraine and a bilateral trade agreement.
Donald Trump likened the UK government’s demand that Apple, opens new tab grant it access to some user data as “something that you hear about with China”. Trump reportedly said that he had told British Prime Minister Starmer that he “can’t do this”, referring to the request for access to data. “We actually told him (Starmer) … that’s incredible. That’s something, you know, that you hear about with China,” Trump said in his first magazine interview.
Additionally, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard indicated that America is investigating whether the UK’s actions violate the CLOUD Act, which restricts cross-border data access demands. In a letter to British lawmakers, she wrote that the UK government’s order for Apple to create a “backdoor” to iCloud users’ accounts is a “clear and egregious violation of Americans’ privacy and civil liberties”.
In response to the UK’s demands, Apple recently discontinued its Advanced Data Protection feature for iCloud users in the UK. Apple removed its encryption feature altogether.
“Any information sharing between a government – any government – and private companies must be done in a manner that respects and protects the U.S. law and the Constitutional rights of US citizens,” Gabbard wrote.
In response to the UK’s demands, Apple recently discontinued its Advanced Data Protection feature for iCloud users in the UK. Apple removed its encryption feature altogether. The company said it had been given no choice and that it was disappointed at being forced to eliminate Advanced Data Protection. Apple has made a point of publicly fighting back against government requests for user data.
A Downing Street spokesperson said it would not comment on the specifics of the Apple case but said “we have a close intelligence relationship with the US and we take the partnership seriously”.
Earlier this week, Tulsi Gabbard, US director of national intelligence, said any move to force Apple to build a back door into its systems would cause “grave concern” as an “egregious violation” of Americans’ privacy. Gabbard said she had ordered lawyers and intelligence officials to investigate the matter.
The IPA was updated last year with new powers to force companies to break the encryption that secures their services in order to facilitate criminal or national security investigations. The powers can be used to gain access to encrypted data from people anywhere in the world, a point of particular concern in the US. The IPA has been dubbed the “Snooper’s Charter” by critics. However, the UK government believes the powers are necessary to investigate extreme cases such as terrorism and child sexual abuse, at a time when more consumer technology services are protected by end-to-end encryption.
This week’s meeting between Starmer and Trump was otherwise seen as positive and convivial, as the leaders said they were working on a trade deal that could help the UK avoid the tariffs that Washington has imposed on several other countries.
