Oregon senator urges Tulsi Gabbard to resist Apple data order from U.K.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – After the United Kingdom ordered Apple to allow government access to content that users have uploaded to the cloud, an Oregon senator is urging newly sworn-in Intel Chief Tulsi Gabbard to resist the order and protect Americans’ data.

On Thursday, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) sent a letter to Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, asking her to protect communications in the U.S. from the UK’s demands, which could make the U.S. more vulnerable to spying from China, Russia, and other adversaries, according to the senators.

Their concerns come after the U.K. ordered Apple to “build a backdoor into encrypted iCloud backups” that allows government surveillance of messages, photos, and other files, as first reported by The Washington Post, noting Apple is barred from disclosing information about the order to the public and members of Congress.

“If the U.K. does not immediately reverse this dangerous effort, we urge you to reevaluate U.S.-U.K. cybersecurity arrangements and programs as well as U.S. intelligence sharing with the U.K.,” Wyden and Biggs wrote. “The bilateral U.S.-U.K. relationship must be built on trust. If the U.K. is secretly undermining one of the foundations of U.S. cybersecurity, that trust has been profoundly breached.”

The senators said creating the backdoor for the U.K. government to access user data would pose a security threat for all encrypted products subjected to the order.

The order comes after China’s “Salt Typhoon” hack into U.S. phone networks, which included tapping President Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s calls, the senators noted.

In response, U.S. cybersecurity officials recommended Americans should use encrypted services to secure calls, texts, and other communications.

The senators also cited a 2023 report from the U.K. Parliament’s intelligence oversight committee, showing the U.K. benefits from unrestricted sharing of intelligence gathering between the U.K. and the U.S., noting, “’[t]he weight of advantage in the partnership with the [National Security Agency] is overwhelmingly in [the U.K.’s] favour.’”