Key facts
- Apple has filed a new legal challenge against a UK government demand for access to encrypted customer data.
- The UK government issued a 'technical capability notice' compelling companies to provide law enforcement with access to encrypted data.
- Apple argues that creating a 'back door' to encrypted data would compromise user security and increase vulnerability to breaches.
- Privacy International and Liberty are pursuing separate complaints against similar notices at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
- A case management hearing for the parallel complaints is scheduled for next month.
Apple has initiated a new legal challenge against the UK government's demand for access to its customers' encrypted data. The complaint, filed with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), comes less than a year after the Home Office abandoned a previous request following diplomatic pressure from Washington.
The UK government issued a new 'technical capability notice' (TCN) to Apple, compelling the tech giant to provide law enforcement with access to encrypted iCloud data of UK users. Apple argues that creating a 'backdoor' or master key to encrypted data would compromise user security globally and increase vulnerability to data breaches.
In response to the latest notice, Apple has launched fresh legal action at the IPT, which specialises in surveillance complaints. This move risks triggering another transatlantic dispute between the UK and the US.
Apple had previously refused to build a backdoor, stating in September that "the protections provided by ADP are not available to our customers in the UK given the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy." The company has since disabled its advanced data protection (ADP) for UK users entirely.
Privacy International and Liberty are pursuing separate complaints against similar TCN notices at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, with a case management hearing scheduled for next month.