Apple has called a secret UK order to let the government see protected iCloud files an “unlawful intrusion.” The iPhone maker has sent an appeal to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal by UK intelligence services and authorities.
The tribunal will look into whether the UK’s notice to Apple was legal and, if not, could order it thrown out.
The UK government made the order under the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016. It is especially aimed at iCloud’s Advanced Data Protection feature, which encrypts backups from beginning to end so that no one, not even Apple, can access them.
The UK government has still not confirmed or denied that the order exists. This could have an impact on Apple users around the world.
Reports say the court could hear the case as early as this month. Because of the secret order, Apple stopped offering Advanced Data Protection in the UK. Now, it looks like the company is trying to stop it altogether.
The secret order – Details
The UK government is said to have told Apple to create a backdoor that would let security officials access users’ protected iCloud backups. If this were to happen, British security forces would be able to see the backups of any user in the world, not just British users, and Apple would not be able to tell users that their encryption was compromised.
Apple’s iCloud backups aren’t encrypted by default, but you can directly turn on the Advanced Data Protection option that was added in 2022. End-to-end encryption means that not even Apple can get to the files that are secured.
Apple is likely just to stop offering Advanced Data Protection in the UK in answer to the order. This wouldn’t give people in the UK access to files shared by people around the world, though. Apple said it was “gravely disappointed” that UK users would no longer have access to the security feature.
Reports say that the UK sent Apple something called a “technical capability notice.” Even telling someone that the government has made a claim is illegal. Also, Apple would not be able to tell users that its encrypted service is no longer fully secure if it did give in to the UK’s requests.
End-to-end encryption services have been fought against by UK security services and lawmakers who say the technology makes it easier for terrorists and child abusers to hide from the police. In fact, a UK government spokesman said that end-to-end encryption cannot be allowed to make it harder to catch people who commit the worst crimes after Apple first launched end-to-end encryption.
Access to encrypted data by governments
In the past, US government agencies like the FBI have had similar worries. However, they have recently started suggesting encryption as a way to protect against hackers with ties to China. The NSA, FBI, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand’s cyber security centers all said in December 2024 that web data should be end-to-end encrypted to the maximum extent possible. This was part of a new set of security guidelines. UK security services didn’t join them.
Google has offered encrypted Android backups by default since 2018, and Meta also offers encrypted backups for WhatsApp users. Spokespeople for both declined to comment on whether they had received governmental requests for backdoors.
Google’s Ed Fernandez reiterated that the company can’t access Android end-to-end encrypted backup data, even with a legal order. At the same time, Meta pointed to a previous statement that no backdoors would be implemented.
This is a tricky request because if Apple provides the UK government access to encrypted data, it’s possible that other governments, including the US and China, will see the opportunity to demand the same privilege. Apple will have to decide whether to cooperate or discontinue its encryption service completely.
This could also raise privacy issues that DeepSeek is dealing with. Apple isn’t ready to compromise.
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