Apple: UK surveillance bill could 'hurt law-abiding citizens'
Technology firm Apple has called for the UK government to scale back its Investigatory Powers Bill over fear it could "hurt law-abiding citizens".
Apple released their statement on Monday as a submission to parliament's bill committee urging the government to make major changes to the legislation especially in relation to encryption services.
Apple products, including iMessage, uses end-to-end encryption which protects the user from hacking attacks. The company cannot decrypt the contents.
The US-based company said that it could weaken the security of personal data for all of their customers with the creation of "backdoors and intercept capabilities".
"The government does not know in advance which individuals will become targets of investigation, so the encryption system necessarily would need to be compromised for everyone," the statement said.
Home Secretary Theresa May's draft Investigatory Powers Bill proposes to increase powers for police and intelligence agencies and would legally require communications companies, like Apple, to hand over data on smartphones and computers.
Agencies would also be allowed to interfere with electronic equipment to get information from a device.
May said the legislation would help authorities crack down on crime and terrorism.
Apple said that if companies such as theirs were to comply with warrants for information, or spy on their customers on behalf of governments, they fear other countries will demand the same right.
It said that the law would "force non-UK companies to take actions that violate the laws of their home countries".
Last month, Apple's chief executive Tim Cook warned that the bill could help not hinder criminals.
He said: "Any back door is a back door for everyone. Everybody wants to crack down on terrorists. Everybody wants to be secure."The question is how. Opening a back door can have very dire consequences."