According to media reports, Apple filed a new lawsuit against the UK government on July 13 before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, directly challenging the UK authorities' practice of compelling access to user data; a hearing is scheduled for September this year. The UK government had previously issued Apple a 'Technical Capability Notice,' demanding that it disable encryption protections on cloud-stored data. Liberty and Privacy International, both civil liberties organizations, have joined Apple’s legal challenge.
Apple has once again taken the UK government to court, as tensions escalate over access to users' encrypted cloud data—a legal battle involving the privacy of millions of users has entered a new phase.
According to Bloomberg, citing two informed sources, Apple filed a new legal challenge on July 13 with the UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal, directly targeting the British authorities' efforts to compel access to user data.
The tribunal issued a notice this Monday confirming receipt of Apple’s application, with a related hearing scheduled for September this year.
This lawsuit stems directly from a 'technical capability notice' previously issued by the UK government to Apple, demanding that it disable encryption protections on cloud-stored data.
A spokesperson for the UK government stated that authorities support strong encryption and privacy protection, but emphasized that 'it is essential for law enforcement agencies to access communication content when necessary and proportionate,' citing counter-terrorism, combating serious crime, and addressing child sexual abuse as key justifications.
Origin of the Dispute: iCloud Advanced Data Protection Feature Becomes Flashpoint
This legal dispute originated from Apple’s introduction in 2022 of the iCloud Advanced Data Protection feature. This optional setting enables end-to-end encryption for the vast majority of data stored in users’ iCloud accounts, including messages and device backups.
The UK government subsequently issued a 'technical capability notice' to Apple, requiring it to provide authorities with a means to bypass the aforementioned encryption—a move criticized by privacy advocacy groups and senior U.S. officials as an attempt to create a 'backdoor' into users’ files, including photos and communications.
Apple ultimately removed this feature from the UK market in February 2025 but refused to comply with the government’s data access demands.
Under pressure from the Trump administration, the UK government agreed not to seek access to data belonging to U.S. citizens. However, British authorities continue to press Apple to grant access to data of local UK users, and negotiations between the two sides have reached an impasse.
Privacy advocacy groups rally in support: Encryption protection is regarded as a cornerstone of public safety.
Liberty and Privacy International have both joined Apple’s legal coalition in challenging the legality of the aforementioned notice.
"We are pleased to learn that Apple is once again challenging the UK’s secret order regime," a spokesperson for Privacy International stated in a declaration, emphasizing that defending the encryption of Apple’s iCloud storage "is critical to protecting everyone’s privacy and security."
Apple has previously defended encryption technology on multiple public occasions. In testimony before the UK Parliament in 2023, the company stated that encryption "is essential to protecting ordinary citizens from unlawful surveillance, identity theft, fraud, and data breaches," and is indispensable for safeguarding journalists, human rights defenders, and diplomats.
Hearings in this litigation are typically closed to the public, and the specific contents of Apple’s complaint remain unclear at this time. The outcome of this case will set a precedent for how global technology companies respond to government demands for data access, and markets are closely watching its developments.
Editor/Liam