Downing Street faces forced retreat in Apple encryption battle with US
The UK is seeking a way out of a clash with the Trump administration over its demand that Apple provide it with access to secure customer data, two senior British officials have told the Financial Times.
The Home Office ordered the tech giant in January to grant access to its most secure cloud storage system. The officials both said the UK would probably have to retreat in the face of pressure from senior leaders in Washington, including US vice-president JD Vance.
“This is something that the vicepresident is very annoyed about and which needs to be resolved,” said an official in the UK’s technology department. “The Home Office is basically going to have to back down.”
Both officials said the UK decision to force Apple to break its end-to-end encryption could impede technology agreements with the US.
“One of the challenges for the tech partnerships we’re working on is the encryption issue,” the first official said. “It’s a big red line in the US: they don’t want us messing with their tech companies.”
The other senior official said the Home Office had “its back against the wall”, adding: “It’s a problem of the Home Office’s own making.”
In its order in January, the Home Office told Apple to build a “back door” to allow law enforcement or security services to tap into the cloud system storing user data that even the iPhone maker itself is currently unable to access.
It did so under the Investigatory Powers Act, legislation that critics dub a “snooper’s charter”.
1. grant access to
意思：给予进入权限、允许使用或查看某事物。
例句：The admin granted access to the confidential files.
管理员授予了对机密文件的访问权限。
2. in the face of
意思：面对（困难、威胁等）；即使在……情况下也……
例句：In the face of strong opposition, the policy was still implemented.
尽管面临强烈反对，这项政策仍被实施了。
3. impede
意思：阻碍，妨碍
例句：Poor internet connection can impede communication.
糟糕的网络连接会妨碍交流。
4. messing with
意思：干扰、捣乱、惹某人（常用于口语）
mess with something：乱动某物
mess with someone：惹某人、挑衅
例句：Stop messing with my stuff!
别动我的东西了！
例句：You don't want to mess with her when she's angry.
她生气的时候你最好别惹她。
5. snooper’s charter
意思：“窥探者宪章”（英国媒体给《调查权力法案》起的外号）
指的是英国政府赋予情报和执法机构广泛监控权限的法案，允许他们监控民众的通讯数据。
例句：Privacy campaigners strongly opposed the so-called snooper’s charter.
隐私保护倡导者强烈反对所谓的“窥探者宪章”。
