The former UK Internet leader says to ask the Apple to break the encryption was “naive”

The former cybersecurity head described the UK government as “naive” to demand Apple adding the rear door to its programs – allowing the UK’s intelligence agencies to parasify customer data – and expects the request remains secret.

Ciaran Martin He was head of cybersecurity at the headquarters of government communications in the United Kingdom (Gchq) and held the first CEO of the National Center for Cyber ​​Security (NCSC) before joining Oxford University in 2020. New world On reports that the UK government has submitted an unprecedented request on Apple to give it access to the data stored by any agent, anywhere in the world, even if it is encrypted.

Such orders, which were submitted under the 2016 Investigation Forces Law, aim to secrete, but Martin says it is not surprising that the details have been leaked. “I just think that the idea that this type of request against a company like Apple will have a secret that may have been naive,” he says.

The Ministry of Interior or Apple confirmed the existence of the request, because doing this would be illegal, and neither of them responded to the request for comment. But in February, Apple announced that it would work It no longer provides advanced data protection serviceIt is designed to safely encrypt cloud data, for new users in the UK. Apple said at the time: “As we said several times before, we have never built the back door or the main key for any of our products or services and we will never be able to do so,” Apple said at the time. The company also According to what was stated, the UK’s order is challenged in a legal case that is likely to be heard in secret.

Martin says it is not unusual for governments and industry to collide with security issues, but “most of the main problems, no matter how difficult, are subject to some forms of settlement.” He says that several times during his career at the Intelligence Agency, he asked technology companies to remove the advantages used by malicious actors to inflict national security or in the criminal institution. He refused to give details But he said that these were often young, technology providers.

“They will have a new application or something, and it will become a favorite for criminals because of a specific feature, and you only say,” see, no, you can’t do it. “They are small parts of technology that is a somewhat specialized position, and it is widely used – it is a misuse more than you use – and you only say” like, is it, right? “

At the end of the day, he says, governments must accept that the encryption cannot be described here to survive. “That ship has sailed,” says Martin. “I think, in the end, that governments should reconcile with this. I think in the long run to try to force global mighty men on [US] The West Coast will not work. “