United States officials are reviewing whether the UK breached a bilateral agreement by reportedly pressuring Apple to create a 'backdoor' for government access to encrypted iCloud backups.

Apple recently withdrew an encrypted storage feature for UK users following reports that it had refused to comply with such demands, which could have affected users worldwide. The Washington Post reported that Apple rejected the UK government's request.

The US director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, confirmed in a letter to lawmakers that a legal review is underway to determine if the UK violated the CLOUD Act.

Under the agreement, neither the US nor the United Kingdom can demand data access for citizens or residents of the other country. Initial legal assessments suggest the UK's reported demands may have overstepped its authority under the agreement.

Apple has long defended its encryption policies, arguing that creating a backdoor for government access would weaken security and leave user data vulnerable to hackers. Cybersecurity experts warn that any such backdoor, once created, would inevitably be exploited.

The tech giant has clashed with regulators over encryption before, notably in 2016 when it resisted US government efforts to unlock a terrorism suspect's iPhone.