Britain gives up data battle with Apple after US pressure

Keir Starmer's British Labour government is ready to abandon its standoff with Apple over the Home Office's request for access to encrypted customer data for iPhones, iPads, and other platforms in the event of authorized legal investigations into significant matters. This is because it is unwelcome to Donald Trump's US administration and could hinder future technology deals between London and its major ally, the US. This is according to the Financial Times, which reports that the Home Office is now "with its back to the wall" and "will essentially have to backtrack," according to statements by two senior British officials, following pressure from Washington.
"This is an issue that has greatly irritated Vice President J.D. Vance and needs to be resolved," one of the sources stated. Furthermore, the two officials explained that encryption is central to the collaboration between the two countries: a critical issue for the United States, "which is opposed to interference in its technology companies." The standoff began earlier this year when it first emerged in the media that the Starmer government was seeking, using the Investigatory Powers Act, which regulates investigative powers in the United Kingdom, to claim access to Apple's Advanced Data Protection (ADP) cloud storage. This data concerns millions of people, whose use, on paper, Apple reserves exclusively for individual contract holders who have chosen to store it—through its on-demand backup service—to avoid losing photos, videos, and information if they change or lose a personal device. The US giant challenged this by appealing to the British courts.
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