Two Republican lawmakers have called on the Trump administration to terminate the existing data-sharing arrangement with the United Kingdom, citing serious concerns about digital privacy following a controversial move by British authorities targeting Apple and attempting to secretly create a worldwide backdoor to iCloud.
Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio and Andy Biggs of Arizona sent a letter on Tuesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging the Department of Justice to dismantle the agreement forged under the CLOUD Act. The lawmakers argued that the US should pursue a renegotiated framework that better safeguards Americans from unwarranted access by foreign governments.
The CLOUD Act, or Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data, was designed to streamline data access across borders while allegedly protecting the privacy rights of citizens. The recent developments have raised questions about whether the spirit of that legislation is being undermined.
Under the current pact, which has been active since 2019 and was extended last year, US companies like Apple are compelled to comply with British data requests during criminal probes. However, the agreement explicitly excludes any surveillance of US citizens.
The lawmakers’ concerns intensified following a Washington Post report in February that revealed a UK mandate compelling Apple to create a mechanism allowing access to encrypted content stored by users globally. Apple’s Advanced Data Protection feature, which provides end-to-end encryption, was disabled for UK users shortly afterward. The company is now appealing the British directive.
According to the letter Jordan and Biggs stated that the deal should be “renegotiated to adequately protect American citizens from foreign government surveillance.”
