US spy chief Tulsi Gabbard says UK agreed to drop 'backdoor' mandate for Apple

The decision follows concerns from US lawmakers about potential exploitation by cybercriminals and authoritarian governments.

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Monday the UK had agreed to drop its mandate for iPhone maker Apple to provide a "back door" that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens.

Gabbard issued the statement on X, saying she had worked for months with Britain to arrive at a deal. (Bloomberg File Photo)

Gabbard issued the statement on X, saying she had worked for months with Britain, along with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to arrive at a deal.

U.S. lawmakers said in May that the UK's order to Apple to create a backdoor to its encrypted user data could be exploited by cybercriminals and authoritarian governments.

Apple, which has said it would never build a so-called back door into its encrypted services or devices, had challenged the order at the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).

The iPhone maker withdrew its Advanced Data Protection feature for UK users in February following the UK order. Users of Apple's iPhones, Macs and other devices can enable the feature to ensure that only they — and not even Apple — can unlock data stored on its cloud.