UK orders Apple to give it access to users’ encrypted accounts, Washington Post reports

Utterly mad. Amazed Apple will not turn down this request or simply threaten not to sell them in the UK. They’d change their tune pretty quick then.

Ah yes time for my daily reminder that the concept of privacy is long forgotten in the modern world.

These fucking governments are pathetic. Cost of living going up, rising inequality, civil unrest, public services going down the pan in the face of underfunding.

What do we do? Invade citizens privacy more. Good stuff. Cunts.

Every few years some authoritarian moron suggests this nonsense and every few years they get slapped down.

If you’re not familiar with the history, google the “Clipper Chip”.

The technological ignorance demonstrated by this government is frankly embarrassing.

What’s the point? Because even when people are flagged as potential risks, the police do fuck all about it anyway? They’ll continue to spy on everybody In the name of “safety” but refuse to act on their findings.

I see a lot of people saying that this is the thin end of the wedge and they will be coming for this on all platforms.

I work in enterprise grade storage for UK companies running international business. Everything we work with is encrypted and in most cases re-encrypted as it moves between storage.

This is a legal requirement for insurance alongside hosting certain types of information.

So where does this end? Whats to stop someone in a small compaby just keeping all their personal stuff in enterprise grade cloud storage thats encrypted with your own keys

I’m am not and have never been Tory voter, but I must say Labour governments do this every single time they get into power. They are obsessed with constantly writing legislation that eats away at civil liberties and privacy under the boogeyman of “crime and national security.” Whether it’s insane internet censorship or National ID schemes or counter terror laws that dance the on the line of violating European Human Rights such as indefinite detention without charge. Starmer’s government is just a repackaged version of Blair’s new Labour platform, the problem is that like New Pence or New Order, New Labour isn’t that new anymore, they tried going back to the Corbyn socialist club front bench and they suffered a humiliating defeat as the majority of British voters don’t particularly like old school socialist politicians. As a consequence of all this, Labour is forced to enter the murky grey waters of “centrist politics” which tend to please no one and upset everyone. This Labour government will only serve a single term as 7 months in and they are already more unpopular than the Tories, who happen to be a collection of incredibly unlikeable people. Go figure. The moral of the story is don’t elect a prosecutor to be Prime Minister, they see EVERYTHING as a proverbial nail that must be hammered in by legislation.

I suspect this was aimed at major crime groups and would require court orders which are designed to ensure the average citizen is not involved. The UK is generally not considered a police state. I think a measure of calm would be sensible. Anyway Apple can go running to Trump and, for a fee, he would threaten us with 200% tariff for Rolls Royce cars sold over in the US.

This is why I hate people who have zero knowledge of a matter passing legislation on it.

You don’t put a back doors in to encryption for a good fucking reason if there is a back door it falls apart.

I have to admit, I kept reading people in the comments mentioning the UK had laws to force people to give up their encryption keys or face fines / jail time and I thought it was sketchy at best, so out of curiosity I asked ChatGPT, this was the reply I got:

>”Yes, there is some truth to that statement. In the UK, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 includes provisions that require individuals to provide decryption keys to law enforcement when requested. Failure to comply with this requirement can lead to criminal penalties, including imprisonment.

>Specifically, Section 49 of RIPA allows authorities to issue a notice requiring a person to provide access to encrypted information. If a person fails to comply with such a notice, they can face a fine or imprisonment for up to two years.

>This law has raised concerns regarding privacy and the extent of government surveillance, but it is indeed a legal requirement in the UK.”

I’m even more shocked that it was introduced in the year 2000 and I’d never even heard of it, learn something new everyday.

Can’t even blame the Conservatives for it either, was Tony Blair, Sheesh.

I’m sorry, but what is the big deal about this?! I’m a fairly private person, but I certainly don’t believe that if I am being charged with something or other; my data be encrypted or I can use this to delay or scupper an investigation.

This is a blatant abuse of power—a legal, yet absolutely outrageous overreach into our private lives. The UK government’s move to force Apple to create a backdoor is a dangerous precedent that not only strips away our right to privacy but also sets us on a collision course with a dystopian future. The fact that Apple would commit a crime to even tell us that they have been requested to implement a backdoor is outrageous abuse of power.

It’s no secret that the government has repeatedly exploited vaguely defined laws like those against online hate to justify invasive surveillance. Now, with this order, they’re effectively giving law enforcement carte blanche to rummage through every digital corner of our lives, even on a global scale. Imagine a scenario where a flimsy or entirely unrelated charge could be used as a pretext to pry into your personal communications and cloud storage—finding incriminating evidence after the fact. This isn’t about protecting us; it’s about normalizing a system where the state can intrude into our digital lives with impunity.

And let’s not forget where technology is heading. With AI evolving at breakneck speed, we’re staring down the barrel of a reality where real-time, massive surveillance isn’t science fiction—it’s an imminent threat. The tools already in play, reminiscent of the methods exploited by Cambridge Analytica, are only the tip of the iceberg. Soon, systems that mimic the mass population-level controls depicted in Orwell’s 1984 could become an everyday reality. In a world where every digital interaction is monitored, our freedoms are not only at risk—they’re being systematically dismantled.

And people are worried about Trump lol 😂 Starmer is aiming to become a mini Xi Ping

people complaining as if apple isn’t stealing your data and spying on you already

And nobody ever said that someone could not subvert a government?

Looks westwards, sheepishly.

So they can arrest you for speech and also access your encrypted conversations? Sounds like a great combination…

I guess there would be an exemption for business accounts?

The Home Office and British Government are a fucking laughing stock of the world.