TechCrunch reports that the UK government's reported secret order for Apple to develop a backdoor that would circumvent iCloud's end-to-end encryption functionality was regarded by cybersecurity and privacy advocates to potentially curtail rights and civil liberties not only in the UK but also in other parts of the world.
Implementation of a backdoor that would enable government access to Apple users' cloud storage data could set a precedent for authoritarian nation-states and threat actors, with Electronic Frontier Foundation's Thorin Klosowski noting the threat of a global emergency stemming from the secret order. Meanwhile, both the Computer & Communications Industry Association and Software Information Industry Association President Chris Mohr emphasized the importance of E2E encryption in protecting sensitive personal and business information amid escalating attacks launched by Chinese state-backed Salt Typhoon, Volt Typhoon, and Flax Typhoon hacking operations. "Decisions about Americans' privacy and security should be made in America, in an open and transparent fashion, not through secret orders from abroad requiring keys be left under doormats," said the CCIA.
