Activist Groups Challenge UK Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor

Two human rights groups have filed a legal complaint with the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) in an attempt to quash the UK government's demand for Apple to allow backdoor access to its encrypted data (via Financial Times).

iCloud Versus UK Key Feature
Earlier this year, the UK government invoked the Investigatory Powers Act to demand that Apple create a backdoor granting secret access to encrypted user data stored in iCloud globally. However, Apple refused to comply.

In response, rather than granting the requested access, Apple withdrew Advanced Data Protection from the UK, ensuring it would not be required to provide decryption capabilities. Advanced Data Protection offers end-to-end encryption for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users' data stored in iCloud.

Apple subsequently lodged a legal complaint to the IPT. "We have never built a back door or master key to any of our products, and we never will," Apple said at the time.

Now Privacy International and Liberty have done the same. The groups argue that Apple's appeal should be heard in public, and that ordering Apple to compromise the security of its products breaches its customers' free expression and privacy rights.

"The UK's use of a secret order to undermine security for people worldwide is unacceptable and disproportionate," said Caroline Wilson Palow, legal director at Privacy International. "People the world over rely on end-to-end encryption to protect themselves from harassment and oppression. No country should have the power to undermine that protection for everyone."

"It would be an entirely reckless and unprecedented move from the UK government to open up a back door to this data, and one that will have global consequences," said Akiko Hart, Liberty’s director. "We need concrete guarantees from the UK government that they won’t proceed with these plans."

The matter is being considered at a closed hearing of the tribunal at the High Court on Friday. Apple is not able to discuss the order made by the UK in public due to the terms of the law.

Several UK media organizations, including the BBC, Reuters, Sky News and the publishers of The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, Computer Weekly and Financial Times, have also made a submission to the IPT arguing that the Apple case should not be heard in private.

The US government is also looking into whether the UK's demand has violated the CLOUD act, which keeps the UK from asking for data from US citizens, and vice versa.

In a February interview with The Spectator, US president Donald Trump said he confronted UK prime minister Keir Starmer over the move and compared it with Chinese government surveillance.

"We told them you can't do this," Trump said. "We actually told [Starmer]... that's incredible. That's something, you know, that you hear about with China."

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

ios 19 messages app

Apple Sues Jon Prosser Over iOS 26 Leaks

Thursday July 17, 2025 8:40 pm PDT by
Earlier this year, YouTuber Jon Prosser shared multiple videos showing off what he claimed to be re-created renderings of what was then presumed to be called iOS 19 and which was eventually unveiled by Apple as iOS 26 at WWDC in June. In his first video back in January, Prosser showed off a Camera app redesign with a simpler set of buttons for moving between photo and video modes, and he...
iPhone 17 Colors

All 15 New iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Colors Revealed in Latest Leak

Wednesday July 16, 2025 6:50 am PDT by
We may finally have a definitive list of all color options for the iPhone 17 series, ahead of the devices launching in September. MacRumors concept In a report for Macworld today, Filipe Espósito said he obtained an "internal document" that allegedly reveals all of the color options for the upcoming iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The report includes ...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Here's When to Expect the iOS 26 Public Beta

Tuesday July 15, 2025 11:07 am PDT by
Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, and now a more specific timeframe has surfaced. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that Apple's public betas should be released on or around Wednesday, July 23. In other words, expect the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and more to be available at some point next week. Apple will be releasing...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

Ranked: The Best Features Rumored for the iPhone 17 Lineup

Wednesday July 16, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
We have just under two months to go until the debut of Apple's iPhone 17 models, and rumors have been ramping up in recent weeks. We went through everything we know so far, pulling out the most exciting rumors and highlighting some other changes that aren't going to be so great. Top Tier Ultra Thin iPhone 17 Air - The iPhone 17 Air is 2025's most exciting iPhone rumor, because it's the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone's Thickness and Price Range Detailed in New Reports

Wednesday July 16, 2025 11:31 am PDT by
Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone will likely have a starting price between $1,800 and $2,000 in the U.S., analysts at investment banking firm UBS said this week. If so, the foldable iPhone would cost more than a MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,599. With a starting price of at least $1,800, the foldable iPhone would be the most expensive iPhone model ever released, topping the Pro Max at...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...

Top Rated Comments

Dr McKay Avatar
18 weeks ago

I would be happy for *anything* I say privately to be made public. I never post anonymously and stand by what I say. A lot of the dissent comes from Americans who conflate being thoroughly nasty to others as ‘free speech’ and who have this strange adversarial relationship with their authorities. I can say what I like about the government, the King, whoever, without fear of retribution. It’s only when I cross the line and what I say can be construed as hate speech, or something worse there is a problem. It bothers me greatly as to what people are saying that they feel needs hiding from the security services. In a dictatorship the authorities would have access to your material anyway. Don’t mete out tired clichés about those of us who have nothing to hide as somehow anti-democratic. It doesn’t wash. It’s about responsibility and respect of others.
If you don’t care about privacy then that’s your choice, don’t push your opinions of what level of privacy is acceptable onto others. Your insinuations about people who do want privacy are frankly insulting, a right to a private life is a human right, if it can be revoked on a whim then it’s a privilege, not a right. Wanting privacy does not mean I have things to hide. Nowhere did I “mete out tired cliches” about people having nothing to hide, nowhere did I claim it was anti-democratic. I don’t even know how to address your unrelated tangent about Americans.

Please do try to stay on topic and refrain from making arguments up to attack.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dr McKay Avatar
18 weeks ago

I am wondering how many of these people actually had ADP enabled in the first place? I don’t know anybody who had enabled it or even know what it was. I suspect that’s the case for 99% of iOS or macOS users. It’s a lot of hot air IMO.
I had it enabled but only because I saw an article on MacRumors about it releasing, probably wouldn’t have known about it otherwise. I disagree with your take on it though, it’s fine to not use something but also not want the ability to have it taken away from you. I use my freedom of speech pretty seldomly (I occasionally protest against a government bill I deem unfair), some people never use it, they’re still entitled to feel upset if the government tried to remove it.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JonathanParker Avatar
18 weeks ago
Something rotten in London
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JonathanParker Avatar
18 weeks ago

Let's hope the apoplectic tech-heads spontaneously implode because only they and the criminals give a toss about the issue.
Even Wikipedia ('https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument') says that your “Nothing to hide” attitude is a logical fallacy.



Attachment Image
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shirasaki Avatar
18 weeks ago

I am wondering how many of these people actually had ADP enabled in the first place? I don’t know anybody who had enabled it or even knew what it was. I suspect that’s the case for 99% of iOS or macOS users. It’s a lot of hot air IMO.
Even though most people don’t enable ADP, doesn’t mean disabling ADP is acceptable. It takes away choices for people who need enhanced data security, protects privacy and so on. Now, you may want to argue “what about kids”. Well, based on that logic, 99% of stuff adults used to would need to be banned “to protect kids”. Things like alcohol, cigarettes, most books, TV programs etc.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shirasaki Avatar
18 weeks ago
My gut feeling tells me that despite those people’s best efforts, UK will prevail and start a new era of surveillance similar to the scale and depth of what China is doing right now. Many more advanced cameras will be installed nationwide, and privacy will likely become a thing of the past. Worse, arrests for “what if” crime could start to creep in. UK has fallen a very long way. Is there even anything left to reverse the course at this point?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)