UK orders Apple to create back door for them to spy on users' encrypted accounts: Report

The UK security officials have demanded Apple to create a back door for them to spy on users' encrypted accounts and retrieve all content uploaded by the Apple user to the cloud, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

The undisclosed order by the British government was issued last month and has no known precedent in major democracies. It requires the blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account.

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Its applications would cause a major defeat for the tech companies in their decade-long history of battle, avoiding being considered as government tools against their users. People concerned with the matter said, on condition of anonymity.

Following this, the company is likely to stop offering encrypted storage in the UK, and will break the security promises it made to its users.

Reuters tried to get a comment on this from Apple, the iPhone maker company, but failed to get a response.

UK's office of the Home Secretary has served Apple with a document called a technical capability notice, ordering it to provide the access, according to The Washington Post.

"We do not comment on operational matters, including for example confirming or denying the existence of any such notices," a Home Office spokesperson said.

Earlier in January, the UK used its regulatory powers to launch an investigation into Apple and Google's smartphone operating systems, app stores and browsers.

Last month, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing its digital assistant Siri of listening in on users’ private conversations. Talk captured by “unintended Siri activation” was obtained by Apple and perhaps even shared with third parties, according to the suit.

(With inputs from agencies)