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US spy chief Gabbard says UK agreed to drop 'backdoor' mandate for Apple
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 19, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Quick Summary
US Spy Chief Gabbard confirms UK drops Apple backdoor mandate, ensuring data protection for US citizens. Apple previously challenged the order.
US Spy Chief Gabbard Confirms UK Will Not Mandate Apple Backdoor
By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Monday the UK had agreed to drop its mandate for iPhone maker Apple to provide a "backdoor" that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens.
Gabbard issued the statement on X, saying she had worked for months with Britain, along with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to arrive at a deal.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was in Washington on Monday along with other European leaders to meet Trump and discuss Russia's war in Ukraine.
The UK government and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Gabbard's statement.
U.S. lawmakers said in May that the UK's order to Apple to create a backdoor to its encrypted user data could be exploited by cybercriminals and authoritarian governments.
Apple, which has said it would never build such access into its encrypted services or devices, had challenged the order at the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).
The iPhone maker withdrew its Advanced Data Protection feature for UK users in February following the UK order. Users of Apple's iPhones, Macs and other devices can enable the feature to ensure that only they — and not even Apple — can unlock data stored on its cloud.
U.S. officials said earlier this year they were examining whether the UK broke a bilateral agreement by demanding that Apple build a backdoor allowing the British government to access backups of data in the company's encrypted cloud storage systems.
In a letter dated February 25 to U.S. lawmakers, Gabbard said the U.S. was examining whether the UK government had violated the CLOUD Act, which bars it from issuing demands for the data of U.S. citizens and vice versa.
Cybersecurity experts told Reuters that if Apple chose to build a backdoor for a government, that backdoor would eventually be found and exploited by hackers.
Apple has sparred with regulators over encryption as far back as 2016 when the U.S. government tried to compel it to build a tool to unlock the iPhone of a suspected extremist.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
Key Takeaways
- •UK will not mandate Apple to create a backdoor.
- •US officials worked with UK to reach this decision.
- •Apple previously challenged the UK order.
- •Concerns about cybersecurity and data privacy.
- •Potential violation of the CLOUD Act by the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions about US spy chief Gabbard says UK agreed to drop 'backdoor' mandate for Apple
1What did Tulsi Gabbard announce regarding Apple's backdoor?
Tulsi Gabbard announced that the UK had agreed to drop its mandate requiring Apple to provide a backdoor for accessing encrypted user data.
2Why was the UK's order to Apple controversial?
The UK's order was controversial because lawmakers expressed concerns that a backdoor could be exploited by cybercriminals and authoritarian governments.
3What action did Apple take in response to the UK's order?
Apple withdrew its Advanced Data Protection feature for UK users following the UK's order to create a backdoor for accessing user data.
4What is the CLOUD Act and how is it relevant to this situation?
The CLOUD Act bars the UK government from issuing demands for the data of U.S. citizens, and Gabbard indicated that the U.S. was examining whether the UK violated this act.
5What are the potential risks of creating a backdoor according to experts?
Cybersecurity experts warned that if Apple built a backdoor for the government, it would eventually be discovered and exploited by hackers.
