Ciaran Martin has accused the UK government of being “naive”.
A cyber security expert has accused the UK government of being “naive” for demanding Apple provides a backdoor to its software.
Ciaran Martin, the former head of cyber security at the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters, claims the government has been naive in its recent dealings with the American technology giant.
Martin told New Scientist: “I just think the idea that this type of order against a company like Apple would work in secret was probably naive.”
Neither the UK Home Office nor Apple has ever confirmed that the government requested a backdoor to the software. But Apple recently announced that it would cease offering its Advanced Data Protection service to new users in the UK.
Apple said in a statement at the time: “As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will.”
And now, Martin has urged the UK government to accept that unbreakable encryption won’t be abolished.
The cyber security expert – who served as the first chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre – said: “That ship has sailed.
“I think, ultimately, governments are gonna have to come to terms with this. And I suspect in the long term that trying to compel the global titans of the US West Coast is not going to work.”
Cyber expert accuses UK government of being ‘naive’
