Apple concern over potential government veto on privacy tools

Changes to Investigatory Powers Act constitute “unprecedented overreach”

Proposals provide Home Office with an effective veto on new security functionality

Apple has once again shared its concerns about UK government proposals to force tech companies to effectively give them a veto on any security measure which would restrict government access to private data.

The amendements to the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA) are due to be debated in the House of Lords today.

According to the proposed amendments to the existing laws, if the Home Office declines an update, it could not be released in any other country, and the public would not be informed.

A government spokesperson said, "We have always been clear that we support technological innovation and private and secure communications technologies, including end-to-end encryption, but this cannot come at a cost to public safety."

A government issued factsheet on the proposed amendments can be found here.

Meanwhile, Apple said in a statement to ArsTechnica:

"We're deeply concerned that the proposed amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) now before Parliament place users' privacy and security at risk.

"It's an unprecedented overreach by the government and, if enacted, the UK could attempt to secretly veto new user protections globally preventing us from ever offering them to customers."

The Home Office told the BBC, " It is critical that decisions about lawful access, which protect the country from child sexual abusers and terrorists, are taken by those who are democratically accountable and approved by Parliament."

The current Act has been named a "snoopers charter" by critics. It's not the first time that Apple has placed its concern in the public domain. A statement last year said the tech giant would consider pulling services such as Facetime and iMessage from the UK rather than comprise security.

Earlier this year civil liberties groups namely Big Brother Watch, Liberty, Open Rights Group and Privacy International published a joint briefing opposing parts of the bill.

The groups expressed their concern over how the proposed changes would "force technology companies, including those based overseas, to inform the government of any plans to improve security or privacy measures on their platforms so that the government can consider serving a notice to prevent such changes".

Further, they added this would be "effectively transforming private companies into arms of the surveillance state and eroding the security of devices and the internet."

These proposed amendments follow a review of the existing legislation and include a range of updates around the collection of data by intelligence agencies and the use of internet connection records.