Back in February, the UK Home Secretary’s office issued a technical capability notice to Apple requesting a backdoor to encrypted iCloud user data backups. Shortly after the request, Apple issued an official statement which informed that it will no longer offer its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) to new users in the UK. Cupertino also challenged the decision at the UK’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).
Over six months after these events, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed that the UK has withdrawn its requests following months of talks between the two governments. Following the initial demand from the UK, the US began investigating the terms and whether these demands were in violation of the CLOUD Act between the two countries.
Over the past few months, I’ve been working closely with our partners in the UK, alongside @POTUS and @VP, to ensure Americans’ private data remains private and our Constitutional rights and civil liberties are protected.
As a result, the UK has agreed to drop its mandate for…
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) August 19, 2025
Apple is now expected to bring back its ADP encryption for iCloud data backups in the UK.
