The United Kingdom has renewed its demand that Apple provide access to encrypted iCloud backups for British users, raising concerns among cybersecurity and crypto advocates. The move could potentially expose private keys stored in mobile crypto wallets to hacking attempts.
According to the Financial Times, the government’s latest order limits access to UK-based accounts but still poses risks. Many crypto wallets, including Coinbase Wallet, Uniswap Wallet, Zerion, Crypto.com DeFi Wallet, and MetaMask, allow users to store encrypted private key backups in iCloud. Accessing these backups could enable dictionary or brute-force attacks, where attackers attempt all possible combinations to decrypt the files, making the security dependent on the strength of the user’s password.
Digital rights groups warn of security risks
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit defending digital rights, stated: This is still an unsettling overreach that makes U.K. users less safe and less free. Any backdoor built for the government puts everyone at greater risk of hacking, identity theft, and fraud.
The UK previously issued similar demands under a Technical Capability Notice (TCN) through the Investigatory Powers Act. The notice required Apple to provide blanket access to fully encrypted material or block its Advanced Data Protection feature, which enables end-to-end encryption for iCloud. Although the request was reportedly withdrawn, Advanced Data Protection remains unavailable to UK users.
Crypto’s roots in privacy activism
Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem originated from pro-cryptography digital rights activism. The cypherpunk movement opposed government attempts to control encryption and played a key role in Bitcoin’s creation. This legacy continues today as the crypto community defends privacy.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently criticized the EU’s proposed “Chat Control” legislation, which would require client-side pre-encryption scanning of messages. Buterin warned that backdoors created for law enforcement are “inevitably hackable” and compromise security for all users. Similarly, the EFF maintains that the UK’s renewed request undermines user safety.