US lawmakers press Trump admin to oppose UK's order for Apple iCloud backdoor

Senator, Congressman tell DNI to threaten infosec agreements if Blighty won't back down

US lawmakers want newly confirmed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to back up her tough talk on backdoors. They're urging her to push back on the UK government's reported order for Apple to weaken iCloud security for government access.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) sent a letter [PDF] to Gabbard today arguing that if Apple complies with the unconfirmed demand from the UK Home Office, it would jeopardize the security of both US citizens and government data.

"Apple does not make different versions of its encryption software for each market," the pair argue in the letter. "If Apple is forced to build a backdoor in its products, that backdoor will end up … undermining the security of Americans' data, as well as of the countless federal, state and local government agencies that entrust sensitive data to Apple products."

According to news reports that broke last week, the UK government is using powers gained through the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016 (a.k.a., the Snooper's Charter) that gives UK law enforcement and intelligence agencies broad permission to collect data on citizens' use of digital services.

The purported Apple backdoor request, which the UK government declined to confirm to The Register, would reportedly allow authorities to access encrypted iCloud data - potentially affecting users worldwide, a prospect Wyden and Biggs strongly oppose.

"When sensitive data is stored by third parties, without end-to-end encryption, it is vulnerable to theft when those service providers are hacked," the pair write, noting that's precisely what happened in 2023 that allowed the PRC-affiliated miscreants to steal tens of thousands of US government emails when it broke into Microsoft systems. 

"After years of senior US government officials … pushing for weaker encryption and surveillance backdoors, it seems that the US government has finally come around to a position we have long argued: strong end-to-end encryption protects national security," the letter continues, adding that the UK Apple backdoor would undo all that work. 

For those reasons, the pair are urging Gabbard to push the UK to reverse its reported demand. If the US ally refuses, they argue the US must reconsider cybersecurity agreements.

"If the UK does not immediately reverse this dangerous effort, we urge you to reevaluate US-UK cybersecurity arrangements and programs as well as US intelligence sharing with the UK," the letter by Wyden and Biggs states. "The bilateral US-UK relationship must be built on trust. If the UK is secretly undermining one of the foundations of US cybersecurity, that trust has been profoundly breached."

Wyden and Biggs quote Gabbard's own words from her recent confirmation hearing to pressure her into action, citing her warnings that backdoors undermine civil liberties and that mandated encryption bypass mechanisms increase security risks and open doors for malicious individals.

"We urge you to put those words into action by giving the UK an ultimatum: back down from this dangerous attack on US cybersecurity, or face serious consequences," the letter concludes. 

The two lawmakers also demanded answers into whether the Trump administration was aware of the UK's move, and if so how it knew and why it didn't tell Congress. They gave Gabbard until March 3 to respond to questions. 

Apple, which the letter claims is under a gag order from even acknowledging the UK's request, didn't respond to questions, nor did Gabbard's office. ®