Apple launches fresh legal challenge against UK encrypted data access demand
The filing comes a year on from the U.K. dropping an initial demand for access to British and American user data from Apple.
Apple has filed a legal challenge against the UK government's attempt to access encrypted data from British customers, a year after their previous dispute. The Home Office issued an order in 2025 demanding Apple provide a technical "backdoor" to view encrypted material, but the request was later dropped after interventions from US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Apple confirmed the legal challenge to CNBC but did not comment further. The UK supports strong encryption and privacy protections, stating that law enforcement should have access to communications to protect against terrorism, serious crime, and child sexual abuse. The Investigatory Powers Act is described as world-leading legislation that balances safety and privacy.
In September, the Home Office demanded Apple to provide access to encrypted data of British citizens, following the initial request in 2025. Apple disabled Advanced Data Protection (ADP) for new users in the UK to protect their security, stating they have never built a backdoor or master key for their products. The original demand caused a transatlantic disagreement as it included American users, but narrowing it to British users might reduce conflicts but not eliminate US concerns about foreign governments weakening security.
Written by urgent.news from CNBC's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
