Over the US, Apple seems to be holding their ground when it comes to taking a stand against the government and their requests for tech companies such as Apple to turn over encrypted data. However in the UK it is a different story as the Cupertino company has recently expressed their displeasure at a proposed UK expanded surveillance law.According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Apple has criticized the proposed law claiming that it could threaten privacy of “the personal data of millions of law-abiding citizens.” For those unfamiliar with the proposed law, it basically gives the UK government more power to monitor communications of its citizens.
If approved, it will grant authorities the ability to access information about what kind of websites individuals have visited, and will also spell out the rules that will allow the authorities to hack computers in order to gain access to information. Of course it will require judicial approval but it does set a worrying precedent. Apple isn’t alone in their criticism as rights groups have claimed that the proposed law would be an attack on civil liberties.
In an 8-page letter from Apple, the company says, “Without strong defense, these attacks have the potential to impose chaos, and threaten our way of life, economic stability and infrastructure. Increasingly stronger—not weaker—encryption is the best way to protect against these threats.”