Balancing privacy and security: strategies for businesses to excel in both aspects
The UK government's ambitious plan to transform privacy rights in law, driven by the influence of the internet and digital technology, has taken a significant turn. The government's proposed solution to access communications, such as a potential ban on end-to-end encryption in online messaging services like Facebook, WhatsApp, and iMessage, appears to be halted or dropped, at least with respect to Apple as of mid-2025.
This development comes after the UK government dropped its demand for a backdoor into Apple’s end-to-end encryption for national security purposes. This decision was confirmed by US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard in August 2025. The UK had been pushing for the ability to access encrypted messages via backdoors through the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (the "Snoopers Charter") and Technical Capability Notices (TCNs). However, these efforts faced significant resistance from tech companies and privacy advocates, and recent reports suggest the UK government was losing the battle to break end-to-end encryption fundamentally.
Apple had even withdrawn its "advanced data protection" feature for UK users amid this pressure. Other major tech players like Google and Meta have stated they have not received such orders from the UK government and have maintained that their products do not have encryption backdoors.
The UK's stance is that current measures are not sufficient to combat terrorist threats. However, experts like Jeremiah Grossman believe that no company should build a back door for defence agencies due to potential vulnerabilities. If the UK government were to implement this solution, the affected systems would be less secure, according to Grossman.
Florian Bienvenu states that organizations must accept the duty of care they take on when handling people's private information. Companies involved in the cloud industry prioritise the security of customer data to win and retain customers. Philippe Courtot believes that relying on the market to reward success and punish failure is a better approach to privacy and security.
People may take their custom elsewhere if they don't feel their information is well protected from government or criminal intrusion. This concern is not unfounded, as UK security services have had access to phone and internet records for many years, despite a ruling by the EU's Court of Justice that deemed it an illegal breach of human rights.
The debate about the necessity of online surveillance for national security versus the loss of privacy continues. MI5, the UK’s security service, has advocated for internet companies to alert security agencies to potential threats and has emphasised the need for surveillance powers in line with modern technology. However, this policy has sparked controversy and criticism in the technology industry, with concerns about privacy, potential vulnerabilities for hackers, and the possibility of terrorists using alternative encryption programs.
In contrast, related EU proposals to scan encrypted chats for issues such as child sexual abuse material are still under discussion and could be adopted later in 2025, but these are separate from the UK situation.
[1] The Guardian: UK drops demand for Apple backdoor over encryption row
[2] The Register: UK government losing battle to break end-to-end encryption fundamentally
[3] BBC News: Apple denies receiving UK order to create backdoor for law enforcement
[4] The Telegraph: UK drops demand for Apple backdoor over encryption row
[5] EURACTIV: EU proposal to scan encrypted chats for child sexual abuse material still under discussion
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