Tulsi Gabbard, the US director of national intelligence, has hit out at the UK’s demand that Apple build a “back door” in its iCloud security system, saying such a move would be an “egregious violation” of Americans’ privacy that may breach the two countries’ data agreement.

US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote in a letter that her lawyers are “working to provide a legal opinion on the implications” of the UK’s reported demand for a backdoor to all Apple users’ encrypted data breaks the Cloud Act agreement,