UK backing down on Apple encryption backdoor after pressure from US

UK Backdoor Push and US Intervention

• Thread centers on the UK’s demand that Apple add an encryption backdoor, and its subsequent retreat after pressure from the US executive branch and intelligence community.
• Some expected UK–US alignment via 5 Eyes and are surprised the US opposed it; others suspect US agencies already have quieter access and don’t want a noisy, universal backdoor that adversaries could also exploit.
• Several see this as evidence the post‑Brexit UK has little leverage and negotiating skill, and would have had more clout inside the EU.

Government Motives vs. Technical Reality

• Many argue policymakers do understand the tech; the issue is authoritarian appetite for control, packaged as “child protection,” “law and order,” or “AI regulation.”
• Others still blame a gerontocracy and non‑technical political class, but multiple comments note the security services and home‑affairs departments are very technically capable and drive these agendas.
• Debate over whether demands for special access are “reasonable” extensions of traditional wiretaps vs. incompatible with modern mass surveillance capabilities.

UK Free Speech and Surveillance Climate

• Commenters repeatedly cite UK arrests for “online communication offences” (thousands per year) as a warning sign, with examples of people jailed for inflammatory posts during riots.
• One side calls this necessary action against racist incitement and harassment; the other sees it as criminalizing speech and approaching a “Stasi‑like” model.

Apple, Backdoors, and Trust

• Strong skepticism that Apple’s “we have never built a back door” is the whole story, given its China compromises and push‑notification data sharing under secret orders.
• Some assume “backing down” publicly just means access has been secured via other, secret mechanisms.

Broader EU/US Tech and Civil Society Angle

• EU is criticized for its own “ProtectEU”‑style backdoor proposals; some Europeans advocate moving away from US tech entirely, though others doubt the EU can replace Big Tech.
• Encryption is framed as a core tool for resisting increasingly authoritarian trends across Western governments.