The U.K. has fallen victim to three attacks in fewer than three months. The attacks have triggered sharp criticism against major technology companies, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), which are accused of creating a safe haven for the planning of terrorism. The government is now calling on these tech firms to aid in enforcing stricter regulation through the removal of certain encryption standards suspected to making it harder to identify suspected terrorists.
But Apple says it will not modify its encryption
It is likely that Apple will not heed the call by the UK government of revising the encryption standards. The company’s CEO Tim Cook says that they will not make it easier for law enforcement to access data. He argues that Apple has been assisting police in the UK probe by sharing information, which could help them find suspects.
In an interview with Bloomberg Cook stated, “In cases where we have information and they’ve gone through the lawful process we don’t just pass it over, but we do it very, very promptly.” Nonetheless, his interview also touched on President Donald Trump’s latest decision of removing the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, which Cook said was not in the best interest of the nation.
Cook says encryption works differently
Even as the UK government insists on the removal of certain encryption standards Cook explains that Apple is restricted from obtaining some information from some of its users’ devices. It may not be able to access iMessage, FaceTime calls, and iCloud backups. The iPhone maker says that encryption works differently but even then it contains important information thanks to the presence of metadata.
Apparently, as all this unfolds, Apple has introduced a host of updates, which Cook claims will enhance Apple customers’ privacy. However, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who is linking technology companies to the latest wave of attacks, may not take these updates kindly. She has been insisting on an instant change to the country’s digital regulations, which she believes will loosen grips over privacy by not providing a safe haven to extremists, but her ambitions will likely damage the liberty of the average citizen as well.
Meanwhile, Apple’s stock was trading at $154.45 witnessing an increase of $0.52 or 0.34%.
