US expresses concern about UK forcing Apple to spy on iPhone users

US officials have expressed concern over reports that the UK government has compelled Apple to spy on its users.

In recent days, numerous reports have indicated that the UK served Apple with a secret document that required it to build a “backdoor” into its devices so that British spies could access users’ data.

The order would have weakened security not just for UK users but across the world, reports have suggested.

Neither Apple or the UK government have confirmed the existence of the order. But, last week, Apple said that it would no longer offer its highest level of security in the UK, in what was seen as a possible response to the demand.

Now, in a letter dated February 25 to two US lawmakers, Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said officials are examining whether the UK government had violated the CLOUD Act, which bars it from issuing demands for the data of US citizens and vice versa.

"My lawyers are working to provide a legal opinion on the implications of the reported UK demands against Apple on the bilateral CLOUD Act agreement," Gabbard wrote to US Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, and Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican.

"Upon initial review of the US and UK bilateral CLOUD Act Agreement, the United Kingdom may not issue demands for data of U.S. citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents ("U.S. persons"), nor is it authorized to demand the data of persons located inside the United States."

In 2022, Apple introduced end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups of its iPhones, meaning that only the user - rather than Apple - has the keys to unscramble the data.

Critics say that the security features mean that criminals and others are able to keep potentially useful data secret. But experts and Apple itself say that it is not possible to weaken security for specific users, and that any attempt to do so would put users in more danger.

Additional reporting by agencies