UK demands ability to access Apple users’ encrypted data

Apple touts privacy as one of its ‘core values’ and describes it as a ‘fundamental human right’. Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters

The UK government has demanded that Apple creates a backdoor in its encrypted cloud service, in a confrontation that challenges the US tech firm’s avowed stance on protecting user privacy.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that the Home Office had issued a “technical capability notice” under the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), which requires companies to assist law enforcement in providing evidence.