Apple challenges new UK order for iCloud backdoor access: report

Apple is challenging another legal demand by the U.K. government to access the encrypted data of its users in the country, according to the Financial Times. The company reportedly filed a complaint with the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal, a court that hears cases related to government surveillance, after the government last year issued a “technical capability notice” — a secret government legal order demanding access to users’ data even if it is encrypted.

For critics, this kind of demand is the equivalent of requesting a backdoor into Apple’s cloud backups that have Advanced Data Protection (ADP) switched on, which makes the data end-to-end encrypted and inaccessible to anyone other than the customer, including Apple.

This new challenge comes a year after a similar fight between Apple and the U.K. government. In early 2025, London issued a secret order to Apple demanding access to users’ encrypted iCloud backups, which was later dropped following the intervention of the Trump administration. After that first order, Apple reacted by removing U.K. users’ ability to use ADP. Then, in October, the U.K. issued a second order, which Apple is now challenging.

Apple did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

Why it matters

The renewed clash tests whether the U.K. can compel a global tech company to weaken end-to-end encryption for its users even after backing off a near-identical demand once before.