This is going to be endless, the tragic part is that no one cares about consumers. (Everyone wants to represent the masses)
The UK government originally issued a secret order in January requiring Apple to provide a 'backdoor' to access encrypted iCloud cloud backups, allowing law enforcement to directly decrypt users' uploaded files. Apple strongly opposed this, even temporarily preventing new UK users from enabling its 'Advanced Data Protection' (ADP) feature, and successfully secured public discussion on the issue in April. At the same time, the US began reviewing whether this order violated the CLOUD Act (Cloud Act, a bilateral agreement between the US and UK), which explicitly prohibits both governments from directly requesting data from each other's countries. Ultimately, under US pressure, the UK announced the withdrawal of this requirement. US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard even publicly stated that this action ensured the privacy of US citizens would not be infringed. Although the UK Home Office refused to comment, the public generally viewed this as a major victory for Apple in the encryption data protection battle.
However, even if the order is formally revoked, it remains unclear whether Apple will restore ADP in the UK. According to a previous report by the Financial Times, UK officials admitted they were 'cornered' and had to find a way out, but there are also reports indicating that London might still seek a new agreement with Apple, though avoiding interference with US users' data. This has left the public skeptical about whether user privacy can truly be fully protected in the future.
In discussions on Hacker News, many netizens expressed skepticism about this incident, believing the UK government's withdrawal of the requirement was not out of goodwill but due to US pressure. Some commentaries pointed out that this demonstrated the 'weakness' of UK politics, which only gave up due to strong US intervention. Others argued that this might be just a surface concession, with the possibility of still secretly obtaining decryption access, though no longer demanding Apple's cooperation openly. Additionally, some discussions mentioned that the Trump administration had rarely pushed back on excessive surveillance demands in similar issues, while the Biden administration was once accused of not actively preventing it, even concealing relevant information. This political calculation further deepened the community's doubts about the government's stance.
Some participants also warned that this was only a brief respite, and 'they will definitely try again in the future,' and perhaps have already secretly obtained the desired access method. Some netizens humorously mentioned that governments often use reasons like 'protecting children' or 'preventing terrorism' to push for backdoors, but these legal designs are often crude, ultimately weakening general users' security guarantees. Others suspect that the US might already have other hidden backdoors in devices, making the entire incident more mysterious.
Overall, this incident highlights the ongoing struggle between technology companies and governments regarding privacy and surveillance. Although the UK's withdrawal brought a short-term victory for personal privacy, the controversy is far from over, and the game between the tech industry, users, and governments will continue.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44950600