Apple’s Dilemma in UK Over Encryption Alarms Privacy Experts

The UK government’s attempt to get Apple Inc. to build a backdoor into customer data stored on its cloud system is alarming privacy advocates and US government leaders who warn that the move could expose users’ information worldwide.

British authorities asked Apple to circumvent the encryption it uses to secure user data stored in its cloud services as part of an undisclosed order in January, Bloomberg previously reported. The UK’s Investigatory Powers Act gives officials authority to compel companies to remove encryption.

US Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned on ...