Apple has filed a legal appeal against a UK government order demanding access to encrypted iCloud data, according to the Financial Times. The company argues the secret directive, issued under the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, unlawfully undermines end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups.
The appeal, submitted to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, seeks to determine whether the UK’s order was lawful. The tribunal, which oversees complaints about intelligence service conduct, could invalidate the directive if it finds legal violations. Apple disabled its Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK in response to the order, which allows end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups, blocking access even from Apple itself.
The UK government has neither confirmed nor denied the order’s existence, per the Washington Post. The directive targets iCloud’s encryption protocols, raising concerns about global user privacy. If upheld, it could set a precedent for other governments seeking access to encrypted data. The tribunal is expected to review the case as early as March 2025.
