UK’s secretive order to force Apple encryption backdoor sparks legal battle
A civil-rights lawyer told the Investigatory Powers Tribunal that the British government’s refusal to confirm a technical capability notice forcing Apple to bypass encryption is "farcical".
In January, the UK government issued a technical capability notice demanding a backdoor to encrypted cloud backups of US and British citizens, a request later dropped after negotiations with the Trump administration. A second notice was sent in July, applying only to Apple customers in the United Kingdom. Apple has taken the matter to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal but cannot disclose details due to legal constraints, while privacy groups such as Privacy International and Liberty argue the order violates human rights and weakens security.
At a hearing, their lawyer Ben Jaffey called the government’s "neither confirm nor deny" stance on the notice "farcical", noting that the existence of the notice is already public knowledge. The government’s lawyer Neil Sheldon warned that abandoning the policy could aid hostile actors by revealing which operators are subject to such notices. The tribunal will rule on the NCND issue later, with the full case unlikely to be heard until next year. Apple previously removed its Advanced Data Protection feature for UK users after the demand, citing security concerns.
Why it matters
It underscores the clash between state surveillance aims and digital privacy rights, affecting users worldwide.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTCentrist coverage emphasizes the secrecy of the UK order and its alleged human-rights and security harms, while right-leaning coverage stresses Apple’s challenge to the gag order and the government’s claim that the backdoor would aid investigations into child sexual abuse and terrorism.
CENTER
Centrist coverage frames the story as a secretive government order that threatens human rights and security, describing the “neither confirm nor deny” stance as “farcical.”
RIGHT
Right-leaning coverage frames the story as Apple fighting a gag order that blocks the Home Office from acknowledging a backdoor request intended to combat child sexual abuse and terrorism.
The right emphasises
- Apple asks the tribunal to lift the gag order on the Home Office’s backdoor request
- the request was justified as a tool against child sexual abuse and terrorism
- Apple removed its “Advanced Data Protection” option for UK users
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