Apple has filed another legal challenge against a UK government order seeking access to encrypted iCloud backups belonging to British users. The company submitted its complaint to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in July, according to the Financial Times.
The dispute concerns a technical capability notice issued under the Investigatory Powers Act. Such notices can require telecommunications companies to build or maintain systems that allow them to respond to lawful government requests for data.
Second Order Focuses on UK Users
The UK government reportedly issued the latest notice in October 2025. Unlike an earlier demand that applied more widely, the second order targets encrypted cloud backups belonging to users in Britain and does not cover customers in the United States.
Technical capability notices are secret legal orders, and companies are generally restricted from confirming that they have received one. The Home Office has not publicly confirmed the reported order or disclosed the categories of data it is seeking.
Critics argue that complying with the demand would require Apple to create a way around the protections offered by Advanced Data Protection. Apple has consistently said it will not build a backdoor or master key into its products because such a capability could weaken security for users.
Advanced Data Protection Remains Unavailable in Britain
Advanced Data Protection extends end-to-end encryption to additional categories of iCloud data, including device backups, photos and notes. When it is enabled, the encryption keys remain with the user, meaning Apple cannot recover the protected information.
Apple stopped offering the feature to new UK users in February 2025 following the first government demand. Existing users were later required to disable it, with Apple saying it was disappointed that British customers could no longer use the protection.
The company has not published an official announcement about its latest tribunal complaint. Its UK support page continues to explain that Advanced Data Protection is unavailable in the country.
Earlier Demand Caused UK-US Dispute
The UK issued its first reported technical capability notice to Apple in early 2025. Court documents later indicated that the order covered data beyond Advanced Data Protection and could have applied to iCloud users outside Britain.
The demand led to objections from the US government over the possible exposure of American users’ information. The UK later withdrew the broader order following intervention from the Trump administration, but subsequently issued the narrower notice now being challenged by Apple.
Privacy International and Liberty are pursuing related legal action over the government’s use of technical capability notices. A case management hearing is expected to coordinate the separate challenges before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
Featured image credits: PICRYL
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