Apple has criticised the UK government's proposed amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) 2016 to pre-approve new security features introduced by tech firms. As per the proposed amendment, if the UK Home Office declined an update, it could not be released in any other country.

As per the government, this amendment is being proposed to support privacy-focused tech and national safety. A government spokesperson has shared, 'We have always been clear that we support technological innovation and private and secure communications technologies, including end-to-end encryption, but this cannot come at a cost to public safety.' The Home Office has shared, 'It is critical that decisions about lawful access, which protect the country from child sexual abusers and terrorists, are taken by those who are democratically accountable and approved by Parliament.'

The proposed changes, expected to be debated in the House of Lords, have been termed by Apple as 'unprecedented overreach' by the UK government. Apple has shared, 'We're deeply concerned the proposed amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) now before Parliament place users' privacy and security at risk,' and that 'It's an unprecedented overreach by the government and, if enacted, the UK could attempt to secretly veto new user protections globally preventing us from ever offering them to customers.'

The proposed amendment, also called the 'snoopers charter' by critics, has been opposed by several civil liberties groups such as Big Brother Watch, Liberty, Open Rights Group and Privacy International.

Why does it matter?

The proposed amendment would have far-reaching effects and force tech companies, even if they are based outside the UK, to inform and get approval from the UK government for any changes they plan to make to improve security or privacy measures on their platforms.