Two powerful U.S. House committee chairs are pressing the British government for a formal briefing after learning that the U.K. had ordered Apple to create “backdoor” access to encrypted user data—an extraordinary step that lawmakers warned could weaken security for everyone. House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan and House Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast sent a letter to Britain’s interior minister, Shabana Mahmood, requesting a detailed briefing about the U.K.’s use of a Technical Capability Notice (TCN)—a legal tool that can compel a company to build technical capabilities for government access.
Jordan and Mast argue the stakes go far beyond a bilateral dispute. They say mandating a backdoor into Apple’s encrypted services could create openings that cybercriminals or authoritarian governments might exploit, undermining trust in secure communications and potentially putting dissidents, journalists, and ordinary consumers at risk. In their view, the case demands transparency so the public can debate encryption and law-enforcement powers with a clear understanding of what governments attempted to require behind closed doors.
Britain ultimately dropped its demand for Apple to create this access. The reversal was confirmed publicly by U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, which helped bring new attention to the issue on Capitol Hill. But lawmakers say the withdrawal doesn’t settle the matter: they want to understand how the order was issued, what exactly was requested, and how the U.K. weighed the security consequences.
The letter sets a firm deadline. Jordan and Mast asked that the U.K. Home Office and the U.K. Embassy in Washington arrange the briefing as soon as possible, but no later than 10:00 a.m. ET on March 11, 2026. The lawmakers framed this as necessary to enable a “mature and informed public debate,” emphasizing that U.K. action toward Apple affects U.S. interests because Apple is an American company and because encryption standards are global.
Apple’s position has been consistent: it has said it would never build deliberate access into its encrypted services or devices. Apple challenged the order at the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal, a legal route that underscores how contested these government demands have become even in close U.S. allies.
The episode also sits within a wider transatlantic fight over tech governance. Jordan and Mast have previously criticized European actions against large U.S. technology firms. While Britain left the European Union in 2020, this dispute shows that U.S. lawmakers increasingly view overseas digital policy—especially rules affecting encryption, privacy, and platform controls—as having direct consequences for U.S. national security and economic interests.
