Britain has dropped its request for access to Apple's encrypted user data - an issue that has fueled tensions between London and Washington, US intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard said on Tuesday.

The British government has insisted that the technology giant create a "backdoor" through which authorities - such as law enforcement - can monitor the information uploaded by users if necessary.

Gabbard stressed that such a request "would allow access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and threaten our civil liberties."

Many technology companies advocate precisely the encryption of messages and content as a guarantee of privacy, and providing access to the authorities has long been considered unacceptable.

According to Gabbard, after months of working with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, London agreed to withdraw his mandate.

The British Home Office declined to comment to AFP, saying: "We do not comment on operational matters."

In February, Apple stopped offering its UK users the highest level of protection – the Advanced Data Protection (ADP) function. It ensures that only the account owners have access to the content – recordings, documents and other files in iCloud – through full encryption.

Around the world, police officials say encryption can hide criminals, terrorists and pedophiles even when authorities have a legal warrant to investigate. For their part, civil rights advocates and cybersecurity experts praise encryption as a promising defense against illegal government surveillance and hacker attacks.

Apple has repeatedly stated that it has never created and will not create a "backdoor" or "master key" for its products and services. | BGNES, AFP