Report: UK Demands Access to Apple Users' Accounts

Britain's security officials ordered that Apple create a so-called "back door" to allow them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud, The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Rather than break the security promises it made to its users everywhere, Apple is likely to stop offering encrypted storage in the UK, the report said, citing unnamed sources.

UK's office of the Home Secretary served Apple with a document called a technical capability notice, ordering it to provide the access, according to the Washington Post.

Apple did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Britain's interior ministry did not immediately comment on the report.

Britain in January used its regulatory powers to launch an investigation into Apple and Google's smartphone operating systems, app stores, and browsers.