Apple threatens to kill iMessage & FaceTime in UK if controversial law passes
Apple is refusing to compromise iPhone and Mac security, and will cut off FaceTime and iMessage in the UK should the new Online Safety Bill challenging end-to-end encryption be passed as it stands.
UK Houses of Parliament
Apple made its position clear on the Online Safety Bill as part of an eight-week period where the UK government is seeking feedback. It has always opposed the bill, but in a new filing spotted by the BBC, Apple is drawing a firm line.
Specifically, Apple has said that it will not make changes to security features for one country that would weaken a product for all users. Elaborating on its point, Apple says that the law and changes that would have to be made to iMessage and FaceTime -- and likely other products -- "constitute a serious and direct threat to data security and information privacy" worldwide.
Apple does not stand alone in this point. Signal and WhatsApp have similar positions on the law. Signal went so far as to say it would completely walk away from doing business in the UK, should the law pass.
What the UK's Online Safety Bill contains, and why big tech is fighting against it
The Online Safety Bill is being considered by the UK parliament as a potential law that could force online messaging services that use encryption to scan for potential images of child abuse. As part of a wider criticism of the bill's intentions, Apple has publicly objected to the law's implementation, and Thursday's filing just amplifies that position.
The bill reasons that law enforcement is not capable of identifying child sexual abuse material being shared across online messaging services like iMessage, due to the implementation of end-to-end encryption. Therefore, the law would empower regulator Ofcom to order such platforms to scan the contents of messages.
However, to accomplish that, there has to be a weakening of end-to-end encryption itself, making it less secure and eliminating the whole point of using the technique for privacy in the first place.
Apple's statement occurs at the same time as the Open Rights Group sends an open letter to minister Chloe Smith, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology.
Signed by over 80 civil society organizations and academics, the group believes "The UK could become the first liberal democracy to require the routine scanning of people's private chat messages, including chats that are secured by end-to-end encryption" if the bill becomes law.
While Apple is against the bill, it has previously attempted to perform actions that would be somewhat in the ballpark of what the bill would require it to do. Its 2021 attempt to introduce on-device scanning of images as a child protection measure was praised by the UK government, but was ultimately killed off by Apple in December 2022.
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Comments
While you may be able to do some workarounds the loss of critical mass and the fact you'd only be able to communicate with existing international users makes it not worth it.
Sadly I expect the current government in the UK thinks that Apple/Meta and Signal are bluffing, they aren't they are deadly serious and the UK is a small enough market they can that walk away from it.
One cold night, a camel asks his master if he can put his head in the tent for warmth. “By all means and welcome,” said the man; and the camel stretches his head into the tent. Soon after, the camel inquires if he may also bring his neck and front legs inside. Again, the master agrees.
Apple is the master. The UK is the camel. You are the tent, and when the camel shits, it's going to land on you.
The next item on the Tory menu is eliminating the NHS and going to the American style healthcare insurance system, and insurance in America is falling apart everywhere, Housing, Health, Fire, Hurricane, Tornado, Flood, and Earthquake, those who are against government are going to want government help, a bail out maybe?
The EU and Europe and general will just keep pushing until Apple finally says no, maybe the British can bring back industry and making stuff in their country? fat chance the upper crust, are all finance, lawyers, accountants, judges, landlords, aristocracy, tax dodgers and politicians. Just to bad the common person in Britain keeps falling for the upper 5% interests over their own.
Apple will be forced to regionalize their devices, Europe, EU, Britain and many other countries just will not stop, I believe Apple will be forced to have a basic core phone, similar to a gaming console in some parts of the world.
The vote for Brexit was clear, the majority of the population of the United Kingdom voted for it to happen (17.4M to leave vs 16.1M to remain).
Yes, Scotland and, to a lesser degree Northern Ireland, voted to remain. However even nearly 40% of the Scots voted to leave which is a fact that the SNP never recognises as they pretend that all of Scotland voted to remain in the EU.
Was it the right decision? Well, I don’t think we will truly know that for at least another 10 years. None of the prophetic doom and gloom scenarios ever got close to materialising and the country was always going to be worse off during the initial divorce stage.
Either way the result of the decision is largely irrelevant, what is relevant is that a democratic vote was taken and was then acted upon (albeit poorly).
One cannot simply build a back door and only give the key to the good guys. If you build in a weakness it can be exploited.
Hopefully the message from experts will get through and the bill will be amended.
And no need to wait 10 years to truly find out; JRM closed shop on the “Brexit benefits” department after how long(?) as he found none at all. There are no benefits to Brexit that benefit the citizenry and there never will be - it’s just allowed the current incumbents of Number 10 to become even more crazed as exemplified by this encryption proposal. They lost touch with decency and common sense years back.
Precisely the group who would be directly affected more than anyone else by Brexit.
Sixteen and seventeen year olds weren't allowed to vote either. Another huge group who have been negatively affected. It was their future that was hanging in the balance.
If those two groups had been allowed to vote, the result would have been different.
This is putting to one side the lies of the leave camp, the fact that the referendum itself was not binding and the woefully inadequate legal text that the referendum was based on.
"Apple stores customer data on Chinese government servers."
"Apple agreed to store the digital keys that unlock its Chinese customers' information in those (government) data centers. And Apple abandoned the encryption technology it uses in other data centers after China wouldn't allow it."
My guess is the UK probably teeters on that edge and perhaps where Apple makes a public proclamation that they are NOT big enough on their own. Or it could be that the UK has more exposure to public pressure than some other less open countries and Apple is counting on them to convince the UK to drop the plan.
In order to try to avoid future demands from others, Apple might make the UK the sacrificial lamb.