UK may withdraw Apple backdoor demand after Silicon Valley unites against 'Snooper's Charter'

The British Government may back down from its highly controversial request for backdoor access to Apple's iCloud after continued pressure from the US Government and Silicon Valley's united Big Tech. 

In January this year, the UK Home Office issued a secret demand to provide backdoor access to iCloud's encrypted data, undermining the privacy of Apple's customers. 

Apple responded by reiterating that they "have never built a backdoor or master key" to any of their "products or services," and withdrew their Advanced Data Protection services from the UK. This meant that UK customers no longer had end-to-end encryption protection for iCloud backups, iCloud Drive, Photos, Wallet Passes, and more. 

What made the request even more outrageous was that the UK government demanded access to iCloud accounts worldwide, not just in the UK. 

While Apple has continued to tussle against the order in secret court hearings, Silicon Valley has come out in support of the company. Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, told the BBC that the demand "could set a dangerous precedent" that could break encryption services worldwide. 

As if that wasn't enough, the demand has also faced scrutiny and worldwide criticism, especially from the US government, with Vice President JD Vance completely opposed to the UK's request. It might also violate a Cloud Act treaty signed between the two countries. 

The Financial Times has now reported that the UK is considering backing down from the request. One official told the publication, "The Home Office is basically going to have to back down," another source said, "They are working on a way around it now."