Apple challenges UK backdoor demand for encrypted iCloud data

Apple filed a legal challenge in July 2026 against a UK government demand for back-door access to encrypted iCloud data, according to an Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) order.

The demand, a technical capability notice (TCN) under the Investigatory Powers Act, seeks to bypass the Advanced Data Protection feature, which encrypts backups so that even Apple cannot read them.

In 2025, the Home Office backed down from a similar but broader request covering UK and US users after a heated transatlantic dispute. The new notice targets only British users.

Apple’s challenge questions the lawfulness of the government’s power to issue TCNs, as first reported by the Financial Times.

The IPT, an independent court that investigates claims of unlawful conduct by UK intelligence services, notified the human rights group Privacy International of the case.

Privacy International and the campaign group Liberty are already pursuing separate complaints against TCNs, arguing the regime is unlawful and excessively secretive.

A case management hearing for all three challenges is scheduled for September 2026, Privacy International said.

A spokesperson for the group said Apple’s claim, alongside theirs, “is crucially important to preserving all of our privacy and security.”

Neither Apple nor the Home Office commented, as both are legally barred from discussing TCNs.

After an earlier TCN pushed for access to iCloud backups, Apple in January 2025 withdrew the Advanced Data Protection feature from UK customers, leaving those backups no longer end-to-end encrypted.