Apple’s Silent UK Move Just Made iPhones Less Private — Here’s Why It Matters

Apple is no longer the privacy god it once was.

Illustration by author

I still remember that first moment with my iPhone — I felt secure. Apple once said, “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone.” I bought into that. I believed my data was mine alone.

Apple’s message was clear: your data is yours, your secrets remain hidden, and there would be no keys for anyone else — not the government, not hackers, and definitely no backdoors. I trusted that promise. Now, it seems that promise has taken an unexpected detour — a side trip to MI5.

Apple vs. Big Brother

Then the UK law arrived. The Investigatory Powers Act 2016, known as the “Snooper’s Charter,” forces companies to share encrypted data. It works in secret and leaves little room for choice.

The UK demanded a backdoor in Apple’s encryption — a weak lock that leaves systems exposed. When I heard this, I wasn’t just uneasy; I was outraged. How can we be safe if our defenses are so flimsy? And don’t worry — iMessage is still end-to-end encrypted… it just now has an extra stop in Westminster!! The hidden government order pushed Apple into a painful choice: follow the law or risk weakening privacy for everyone.