The UK’s Encryption Backdoor and Apple’s Privacy Crossroads

For a long time, I felt it was only a matter of time before some nation called Apple’s bluff on iOS security and demanded a secret backdoor into user data. While the United States has made several threats over the years without following through, it appears the United Kingdom has now mandated access to end-to-end encrypted data, complete with a gag order preventing Apple from disclosing this fact. Apple hasn’t addressed this publicly, and it’s unclear whether they’ve taken any action to comply. My guess is that Apple will initially appeal and contest this order as far as they can take it.

If the UK is serious about this, Apple faces a real challenge. The thing about secret backdoors is that they never remain secret for long. The system is either secure or it isn’t, and adding a backdoor firmly places it in that second category. Moreover, I expect the act of adding a backdoor would jeopardize the European Union privacy compliance requirements.

This is a big deal for both Apple and us consumers. If the United Kingdom really presses this point, I could see Apple deciding to stop selling iPhones there altogether. If they do capitulate, you can expect every country to demand its own method of accessing end-to-end encrypted data. And any hope of user privacy will vanish. To add to our frustration, the existence of the gag order makes public discourse on this opaque demand difficult.

Simple Scan: From Documents to PDFs in Seconds (Sponsor)

Scanning apps on iOS have taken a turn for the worse. Many have become bloated with features. Monetization schemes have multiplied. That’s what Greg Pierce (maker of Drafts) realized when he wanted to scan a document to a PDF. The good news is that Greg fixed that with his scanning app, Simple Scan. Simple Scan lives up to its name by doing one thing really well: turning your paper documents into high-quality, searchable PDFs with minimal fuss.

What sets Simple Scan apart is its focused approach. Simple Scan is purpose-built for quick document capture. Just scan and send, no document library to manage. Every PDF is automatically processed with OCR, making your scanned documents fully searchable.

The app comes with thoughtful features like custom destinations for frequent tasks (perfect for “Email to Myself”), direct saves to specific folders, and flexible output options, including high-quality JPEGs. And true to its principles of simplicity, you’ll never see ads. Ever. I use this app all the time.

Simple Scan is free to try, with a Pro version available as either a low-cost annual subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase.

Simplify your scanning workflow with Simple Scan today.

Thunderbolt 5 Devices

As Apple increasingly moves to Thunderbolt 5, some interesting devices are emerging that take advantage of this new interface. A couple that stand out, both from OWC: the OWC Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 Drive (in 2- and 4-terabyte capacity), the OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub. There’s also the CalDigit Element5 Hub. Of course OWC and CalDigit are at the front of the pack, but I expect we’ll see more Thunderbolt 5 devices appear in the near future.