One of the things that worries me the most about the UK’s recent moves against Apple end-to-end encryption is that Apple will respond by reducing their deployment of encryption everywhere.
Would this not only affect the UK? Why would this reduce encryption elsewhere?
The UK wants *global* access to people's data
Feb 10, 2025 18:37Ah, okay. So Apple could - potentially - give in, at give the UK global access to people's data in exchange for being allowed to sell their products in the UK? I hope they don't give in.
Potentially, yes, but realistically I don't see them doing so - IMO it's more likely that Apple protests against the bill and threatens to leave the UK, then the bill gets quietly dropped
Apple complies with the Chinese government having full access to iCloud data for Chinese users. They already set the precedent of sharing access to cloud data even without requiring warrants. UK only has to scope it more reasonably by only covering UK users and then it fits the existing precedent.
By not holding the line with China, they've already lost the battle elsewhere. It's already known they'll comply with these requirements in order to avoid leaving a large market behind. Perhaps the UK isn't a large enough market if it had been first, but it isn't first. They've already given in.
welp, looks like you were right :/
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row
Customers' photos and documents stored online will no longer be protected by end to end encryption.
That's the precedent they've set in China so it's easy to predict they would do the same with any other country wanting the same access. Demanding access to data for users outside of the country is where we think they'd fight hard and even discontinue certain services there without leaving overall.
