Data Breach: US accuses UK of ordering Apple to allow spying on iPhone consumers’ information worldwide

*Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), two United States lawmakers direct Tulsi Gabbard, Director of US National Intelligence, to investigate the allegations, that Apple is being secretly pressured to provide the UK Government access to iPhone users’ encrypted data

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Andy Biggs, two United States (US) lawmakers, one a Democrat and the other a Republican, have sent a letter to Tulsi Gabbard, US Director of National Intelligence (DNI), warning that the United Kingdom (UK) has ordered Apple to provide a “back door” to iPhone consumers’ encrypted data.

Gabbard had barely been sworn in as the Director of the Anerican country’s National Intelligence before a new potential intelligence threat affecting US consumers landed in her lap, agency report said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer       Photo: AP

The US lawmakers’ letter, obtained by various media outlets, referenced reports in UK media that the country’s Home Secretary secretly directed the Apple, a global technology giant, to water down the security of its iCloud backup service to give the British Government access.

The letter noted: “Apple is reportedly gagged from acknowledging that it received such an order, and the company faces criminal penalties that prevent it from even confirming to the US Congress the accuracy of these press reports.”

UK allegedly engages in crackdowns on social media

Report also indicates the UK Government has engaged in crackdowns on social media platforms, similar to the US crackdown during the pandemic, seeking to limit commentary opposing various government policies.

ConsumerConnect learnt London’s Metropolitan Police Chief, in 2024, warned that not only could it charge British residents for posts made in the wake of a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift concert, but could also extradite and charge U.S. residents as well.

Legislators Wyden and Biggs, the two lawmakers, whose committee assignments include intelligence and crime, therefore, asked the new DNI to “act decisively to protect the security of Americans’ communications from dangerous, shortsighted efforts by the United Kingdom that will undermine Americans’ privacy rights and expose them to espionage by China, Russia and other adversaries.”