Tech

WhatsApp has told the BBC it is supporting fellow tech giant Apple in its legal fight against the UK Home Office over the privacy of its users' data.

The messaging app's boss, Will Cathcart, said the case "could set a dangerous precedent" by "emboldening other nations" to seek to break encryption, which is how tech firms keep customers' information private.

Apple went to the courts after receiving a notice from the Home Office demanding the right to access the data of its global customers if required in the interests of national security.

It and other critics of the government's position say the request compromises the privacy of millions of users.

The Home Office told the BBC it would not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.

"But more broadly, the UK has a longstanding position of protecting our citizens from the very worst crimes, such as child sex abuse and terrorism, at the same time as protecting people's privacy," it said in a statement.

Awkward row

WhatsApp has applied to submit evidence to the court which is hearing Apple's bid to have the Home Office request overturned.

Mr Cathcart said: "WhatsApp would challenge any law or government request that seeks to weaken the encryption of our services and will continue to stand up for people's right to a private conversation online."

This intervention from the Meta-owned platform represents a major escalation in what was an already extremely high-profile and awkward dispute between the UK and the US.

Apple's row with the UK government erupted in February, when it emerged ministers were seeking the right to be able to access information secured by its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) system.

The argument intensified in the weeks that followed, with Apple first pulling ADP in the UK, and then taking legal action against the Home Office.

It also sparked outrage among US politicians, with some saying it was a "dangerous attack on US cybersecurity" and urging the US government to rethink its intelligence-sharing arrangements with the UK if the notice was not withdrawn.

Tulsi Gabbard, the director of US National Intelligence, described it as an "egregious violation" of US citizens' privacy.

Civil liberties groups also attacked the UK government, saying what it was demanding had privacy and security implications for people around the world.

The campaign organisation Open Rights Group welcomed WhatsApp seeking to become involved in the case.

"WhatsApp's intervention shows the breadth of concern about the threat to privacy and security," said Jim Killock, its executive director.

"It's important that the court hears from as many companies and organisations as possible so they understand the full impact of what the Home Office is trying to do," he added.

Privacy versus national security

Apple's ADP applies end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to files such as photos and notes stored on the iCloud, meaning only the user has the "key" required to view them.

The same technology protects a number of messaging services, including WhatsApp.

That makes them very secure but poses a problem for law enforcement agencies.

They can ask to see data with lower levels of protection – if they have a court warrant – but tech firms currently have no way to provide access to E2EE files, because no such mechanism currently exists.

Tech companies have traditionally resisted creating such a mechanism not just because they say it would compromise users' privacy but because there would be no way of preventing it eventually being exploited by criminals.

In 2023, WhatsApp said it would rather be blocked as a service than weaken E2EE.

When Apple pulled ADP in the UK it said it did not want to create a "backdoor" that "bad actors" could take advantage of.

Further complicating the argument is that the Home Office has submitted its request to Apple via what it is known as a Technical Capability Notice (TCN), something which by law is secret

Neither Apple nor the Home Office has confirmed its existence. WhatsApp says so far it has not received a TCN.

When the matter came to court, government lawyers argued that the case should not be made in public in any way for national security reasons.

However, in April, a judge agreed with a number of news organisations, including the BBC, and said certain details should be made public.

"It would have been a truly extraordinary step to conduct a hearing entirely in secret without any public revelation of the fact that a hearing was taking place," his ruling stated.

In its statement to the BBC, the Home Office said: "The UK has robust safeguards and independent oversight to protect privacy and these specific powers are only used on an exceptional basis, in relation to the most serious crimes and only when it is necessary and proportionate to do so."

Spending time with someone who is dying is something most of us will only have to experience maybe a handful of times in a lifetime.

For Hazel Orchard, it is a weekly occurrence.

Hazel is a hospital companion and volunteers her time offering a friendly ear to end-of-life patients.

The role involves listening, discussing challenging topics such as care plans and simply being present when family members need to rest or step away.

She said although it brought her grief and sadness it had also enriched her life.

"It is very emotional, I won't dilute that in any way, shape or form," said Hazel from Cardiff.

"But to support people on their journey as their body ebbs ever flowing to its final resting place is nothing other than a privilege."

Hazel, 65, began volunteering for Marie Curie in September and since then has supported 10 patients, three of whom have now died.

"I do go and sit and light a candle for them and their families," she said.

"It is important to for me to express my own grief in a way… to be able to refuel and recharge and to be able to continue to give what is needed to the patients I support."

Although Hazel is passionate about the work now, when she first heard about the opportunity on social media she was far from keen.

"My first thought was 'I can't think of anything more horrific' and I bypassed it," said Hazel, who is retired after a career in children's services.

"However, interestingly it never really left my mind during the ensuing week and I found myself at times thinking about it."

"I then went back to it and thought 'why not?'."

After receiving training and getting her Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check she began volunteering at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales.

"The very first patient that I was allocated was given 48 hours but I had the privilege of being able to visit with him and support him for two weeks," she said.

She said his death had an impact on her.

"We'd started to get to know each other quite well and to have difficult conversations about dying and death," she said.

Another patient she was supporting found it difficult to talk about her situation.

Hazel discovered she enjoyed word searches so made some for her using words that could serve as potential conversation-starters.

Since January she has been supporting a man who has lung and blood cancer.

He has been discharged so she now visits him weekly at home.

"We have deep conversations about life," she said.

"He talks comfortably with me about his diagnosis and cancer and I would say that our relationship is ever-evolving and I'm privileged that I'm still able to journey with him."

Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.

Our pick of local website stories

Burnham-on-sea.com reports the A38 will close for three days this month through Highbridge.

The mother of Mikey Roynon, who was fatally stabbed with a zombie-style knife at a party in 2023, speaks to Somerset Live ahead of a new documentary.

And more than 50 homes are set to be built on a school's playing fields in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire Live reports.

Our top three from yesterday

A traffic-holding system for lorries queueing to cross the English Channel has been deployed ahead of the May Bank Holiday weekend and the school half-term.

The Kent and Medway Resilience Forum rolled out Operation Brock on the M20 between junction eight (Maidstone) and nine (Ashford).

The contraflow was put in place earlier this week and a diversion route was put in place during the installation.

Operation Brock sees lorries heading to Dover queue on one side of the M20, with the other carriageway operating as a contraflow, with traffic travelling in both directions.

All Heavy Good Vehicle's heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel must follow the signs to join Operation Brock at junction eight of the M20.

All other coast-bound traffic, including local freight and car drivers heading for mainland Europe, should follow the signs and crossover to enter the contraflow on the M20 London-bound carriageway.

A busy road junction in Hull is due to reopen on Wednesday following repairs to a burst water main.

Motorists have been unable to join Princes Avenue from Spring Bank and Spring Bank West since the damaged pipe was found on 22 May.

Yorkshire Water said repairs had been completed and workers had been waiting for concrete to cure before lifting the closure.

"We'd like to apologise for the disruption and thank everyone in the area for their patience whilst we worked to repair the burst on Princes Avenue and reinstate the road," a spokesperson said.

Commuters and residents previously described the delays caused by the work as a "nightmare".

Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Soundslatest episode of Look North here.

King Charles has attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Windsor Castle.

The equestrian event, which was a favourite of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, was first staged in 1943 to help raise funds for the war effort.

The show is now the only one in the UK to host international competitions in show jumping, dressage, driving and endurance.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, were also seen with the King at the event on Saturday.

This year's Royal Windsor Horse Show, which opened on Thursday and runs until Sunday, also includes more than 120 showing classes.

The inaugural event in 1943 was attended by King George VI, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and the two young princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret.

Over the years, Queen Elizabeth II would often be seen walking among the stalls, dressed informally and wearing a headscarf.

She also entered her home-bred horses and ponies in classes at the show.

Two people found dead at a property in Devon both suffered gunshot wounds, police have said.

Husband and wife, John Perkins, 66, and Kathryn Perkins, 67, were pronounced dead at a property at Briar Close, Exmouth, at 18:30 BST on 7 May.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said the fatalities were linked and Mrs Perkins' death was being treated as suspicious.

They added that two legally held firearms had been located at the property and been seized.

Fires are being caused by e-bikes or e-scooters in London "every other day", a fire chief has warned after a fire left 11 people needing hospital treatment in Bethnal Green, east London, last week.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) chiefs believe the fire was caused by the failure of a lithium-ion battery.

Richard Field, dep ass commissioner for prevention and protection at LFB, said e-bikes and e-scooters were one of the capital's "fastest-growing fire risks".

"Since 2023, we have seen a fire, on average, every other day and these fires are ferocious, producing extremely toxic smoke," he said.

Many recent fires have involved second-hand e-bikes or e-scooters which have been modified using parts bought online which do not meet the correct safety standard, Mr Field added.

The Bethnal Green fire on 9 April saw 50 people evacuated after it spread through the block in Cornwall Avenue.

One man jumped from a second-floor window to escape the flames but was unhurt.

Mr Field said: "This would have been a terrifying ordeal for all those inside this building.

"Firefighters demonstrated great courage to bring multiple people, including one child, to safety.

"The condition of one of the 11 people taken to hospital is no longer life-threatening."

Life-saving equipment was stolen from a fire engine leaving its crew unavailable to attend incidents.

The break-in happened at Ferndown Fire Station on Ringwood Road, between 08:45 BST on Friday and 09:00 on Saturday, causing damage to the building and resulting in a reciprocating saw and Halligan tool – used by firefighters to force entry – being taken.

PC Georgia Hedditch, of Dorset Police, described it as a "senseless burglary" that "resulted in the fire service being deprived of a potentially life-saving asset".

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was "very saddened" by theft.

PC Hedditch said the force was "carrying out a number of inquiries" and urged any witnesses or those with dashcam, home CCTV or doorbell camera footage to come forwards.

Jason Moncrieff, area manager of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We are very saddened that this has happened at one of our fire stations.

"The impact was greater than the loss of two pieces of equipment, it meant the Ferndown crew were unavailable to attend incidents for much of Saturday, and we now have to use public money to buy replacement items.

"The offenders also damaged part of the fire station to get in, which has now been repaired, again at a cost to public funding."

Sudanese people are eating leaves and charcoal to survive after fleeing an attack on a camp for displaced people near the city of el-Fasher, an aid agency has told the BBC.

"The stories we've been hearing are truly horrific," Noah Taylor, the Norwegian Refugee Council's head of operations, told the BBC's Newsday programme.

People are fleeing el-Fasher for Tawila, but are dying "on arrival," Mr Taylor added.

He said that some were "dying of thirst", whilst making the 40km (25 mile) journey from Zamzam camp in "blistering" temperatures.

"We've heard stories there are still bodies on the road between el-Fasher and Tawila.

"We spoke to a family who told us of a girl who had walked on foot by herself from el-Fasher, was repeatedly raped along the journey, and then died of her wounds when she arrived in Tawila."

El-Fasher is the last city in Sudan's western region of Darfur under the control of the army and its allies. Earlier this month, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked the nearby Zamzam camp, forcing tens of thousands to flee their makeshift shelters.

Many Zamzam residents had been there for two decades, after escaping previous conflicts in Darfur.

The RSF has been battling the army for the past two years in a war that has killed an estimated 150,000 people and forced some 13 million from their homes.

Aid agencies say it is the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

However, funding problems have led to the UN reducing the food aid it delivers to areas of Sudan hit by famine, it says.