Europe is sleepwalking into a catastrophe of its own making, actively undermining the very cybersecurity infrastructure that protects its citizens and businesses. In its latest move, the British government has ordered Apple to undermine encryption on iCloud—effectively demanding a skeleton key to users’ private data worldwide. Preventing Apple from offering its security feature called Advanced Data Protection (ADP) means that users can’t turn on the essential protection standing between them and data breaches or similar threats. This isn’t just a dangerous precedent. It’s a reckless, shortsighted policy that weakens security for everyone while setting the stage for authoritarian regimes to demand the same.
Encryption isn’t some optional feature—it’s a fundamental part of how modern digital security works. It protects your messages, your financial information, your business secrets, and even national security data. The UK’s decision to attack encryption doesn’t just harm British users—it puts every iPhone user at risk, whether they’re in London or Los Angeles. And here’s the kicker: once a backdoor exists, it won’t stay limited to the UK. China, Iran, and every cybercriminal with a keyboard will line up to exploit the same vulnerabilities.
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) made the stakes crystal clear in a bipartisan letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard: "Apple does not make different versions of its encryption software for each market. If Apple is forced to build a backdoor in its products, that backdoor will end up ... undermining the security of Americans' data, as well as of the countless federal, state, and local government agencies that entrust sensitive data to Apple products."
This isn’t a left-right issue—it’s a common-sense issue. Everyone, from privacy advocates to national security experts, has warned for years that breaking encryption doesn’t just make life easier for law enforcement. It makes life easier for criminals, hackers, and oppressive regimes that would love nothing more than to spy on their citizens (or, for that matter, on U.S. policymakers and businesses).
The UK's demand is not just reckless—it's national security malpractice on an industrial scale. It comes mere weeks after China's 'Salt Typhoon' operation, a massive espionage effort targeting corporate and military data. And yet, instead of learning the obvious lessons, the UK is rolling out the red carpet for bad actors and signaling to every hostile regime that security vulnerabilities will now be built-in courtesy of Western governments. The very same backdoors the UK wants to create would be an open invitation for China and other adversaries to exploit, putting businesses, government agencies, and individual users at grave risk.
President Trump must stand up strongly to defend American companies and consumers from abuse at the hands of foreign governments. Last week’s White House announcement that the US would defend American companies facing non-tariff barriers and other protectionist shakedowns was an excellent start. The U.S. should make it crystal clear that American tech companies will not be bullied into making their users less secure.
The United States must draw a line in the sand—no foreign government gets to dictate security standards for American businesses and consumers. Every trade agreement—whether with the UK, the EU, or anyone else—must explicitly reflect this principle. The internet should be a tool for innovation and free expression, not a playground for state-sponsored hackers and cybercriminals. The administration should continue forward and take decisive action to ensure American businesses and consumers remain protected against reckless demands that undermine global cybersecurity.
Michael Petricone is the senior vice president of government affairs for the Consumer Technology Association.
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