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Apple challenges UK order for iCloud encryption access
Apple has filed a new legal complaint at the UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal, challenging a Technical Capability Notice issued by the Home Office that requires the company to provide access to encrypted iCloud backups of British users. The notice, issued under the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act, is limited to UK accounts and does not apply to U.S. users after a previous global demand was withdrawn following American diplomatic pressure. Apple says it has never built a backdoor or master key and, rather than create one, removed the Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature for new UK customers in February 2025. The filing has been supported by privacy groups Liberty and Privacy International, and Apple’s share price fell about 2 % after the announcement. The UK government argues the access is needed for investigations of terrorism, serious crime and child sexual abuse, warning that the case could have far‑reaching implications for privacy rights worldwide.
Entities
Advanced Data Protection · Advanced Data Protection (ADP) · Advanced Data Protection (iCloud feature) · Apple Inc. · Investigatory Powers Tribunal · Liberty · Liberty (human rights group) · Liberty (human‑rights group) · Privacy International · UK Home Office · United Kingdom Home Office · iCloud
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The legal dispute is being heard by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. www.batista70phone.com · www.iphonote.com · 9to5mac.com
- [● 6 SOURCES] Apple has never built a backdoor or master key to its products and will never do so. www.batista70phone.com · www.iphonote.com · 9to5mac.com · www.bbc.co.uk · mix929.com · +1 more
- [● 3 SOURCES] After US pressure, the UK withdrew the portion of the order that targeted American users. www.batista70phone.com · www.iphonote.com · 9to5mac.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Apple prevented new UK users from enabling Advanced Data Protection in response to the government notice. www.batista70phone.com · www.iphonote.com · 9to5mac.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The original 2025 order covered users worldwide, including Americans, leading to diplomatic tension between the UK and the United States. www.batista70phone.com · www.iphonote.com · 9to5mac.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Apple filed a new legal challenge in July 2026 against a UK request for access to encrypted iCloud backups of British users. www.batista70phone.com · www.iphonote.com · 9to5mac.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The UK Home Office issued a Technical Capability Notice under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 demanding access to encrypted iCloud backups of British users. www.batista70phone.com · www.iphonote.com · 9to5mac.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The earlier 2025 global Technical Capability Notice that covered both UK and US users was withdrawn after diplomatic pressure from the United States. mix929.com · coinpaper.com · www.applemust.com
- [● 17 SOURCES] The UK Home Office issued a Technical Capability Notice under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 requiring Apple to provide access to encrypted iCloud data of UK users. www.bbc.co.uk · mix929.com · it.slashdot.org · coinpaper.com · www.applemust.com · +12 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Apple’s share price fell about 2 % after the filing of the legal challenge. coinpaper.com
- [● 17 SOURCES] Privacy groups Liberty and Privacy International have joined Apple in challenging the UK Technical Capability Notice. mix929.com · coinpaper.com · www.applemust.com · www.bbc.co.uk · it.slashdot.org · +12 more
- [● 17 SOURCES] Apple filed a legal complaint at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in July 2026 challenging a UK government demand for access to encrypted iCloud backups of British users. www.bbc.co.uk · mix929.com · it.slashdot.org · coinpaper.com · www.applemust.com · +12 more