US lawmakers slam UK encryption backdoor order to Apple, warning against “systemic vulnerabilities”

• Two US lawmakers are warning against the security risks of the UK encryption backdoor order to Apple
• Such a backdoor to encryption, they said, could be exploited by cybercriminals and authoritarian regimes
• Apple killed its iCloud’s end-to-end encryption feature in the UK in February and is now challenging the order in Court

Two US lawmakers have slammed the UK encryption backdoor order to Apple, arguing that this could lead to potential cybersecurity risks for all users worldwide.

As reported by Reuters on May 7, 2025, US House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan and Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast wrote a joint letter to Britain’s Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to warn how such a backdoor would create “systemic vulnerabilities” that cybercriminals and authoritarian regimes would be able to exploit.

Apple killed its iCloud’s end-to-end encryption feature in the UK in February after being hit by a Technical Capability Notice (TCN) under the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act to allow law enforcement to assess users’ data – no matter if these are encrypted. The Big Tech company is now challenging this request in Court.

“Systemic vulnerabilities” for everyone