The special relationship
In the shadowy halls and byzantine pathways infested by those who have acquired power, discussions are taking place. Only last night, a cross-party group wrote a furious letter to the UK government demanding that today’s decision-making process be done in public. Signatories included US Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Warren Davidson (R-OH), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).
“We write to request the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) remove the cloak of secrecy related to motives given to American technology companies by the United Kingdom which infringes on free speech and privacy, undermines important United States Congress and UK parliamentary oversight, harms national security, and ultimately, undermines the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” they warned.
The demand the UK is making does, of course, undermine that relationship, as Apple will be obliged to offer up the personal data of any of its users in the world.