UK surveillance bill could bring 'very dire consequences', warns Apple chief

'Any back door is a back door for everyone,' says Tim Cook of proposals to allow authorities to track citizens' internet use without requiring warrant

Apple's chief executive has sharply criticised surveillance powers proposed by the British government, warning that allowing spies a backdoor route into citizens' communications could have "very dire consequences".

Questioning a key element of the draft investigatory powers bill, which places a new legal obligation on companies to assist in these operations to bypass encryption, Tim Cook insisted that companies had to be able to encrypt in order to protect people.