Apple challenges UK order on access to encrypted iCloud data

Apple has filed a legal challenge against a UK government order that reportedly requires the company to preserve the technical ability to provide access to encrypted iCloud data belonging to users in the United Kingdom.

The case, filed with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, challenges the Home Secretary’s authority to issue Technical Capability Notices under the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act. These notices can require technology companies to develop or maintain capabilities that would allow them to comply with lawful requests for data, although they do not themselves authorise access to individual accounts.

The order is understood to relate to data protected by Apple’s Advanced Data Protection feature, which uses end-to-end encryption. With this form of encryption, only the user holds the keys needed to access the data, meaning Apple cannot decrypt the information itself. Apple stopped offering the feature to new UK users in 2025, arguing that creating a mechanism for access would weaken the security of its services.

The legal challenge comes alongside a separate case brought by privacy organisations Privacy International and Liberty, which are contesting the legality and secrecy of the Technical Capability Notice regime. The UK government maintains that its investigatory powers are subject to legal safeguards and are used only when necessary and proportionate.