{
  "id": 8124605,
  "title": "Apple pushes UK court to lift secrecy around encryption backdoor order",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/apple-pushes-uk-court-to-lift-secrecy-around-encryption-backdoor-order",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-17T22:56:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "9to5Mac",
    "slug": "9to5mac",
    "url": "https://9to5mac.com/2026/09/17/apple-pushes-uk-court-to-lift-secrecy-around-encryption-backdoor-order/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent legal hearing at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) in London, Apple challenged the UK government’s refusal to openly confirm or deny a recent order issued to compel the tech giant to grant access to encrypted user data stored in iCloud. This development follows a previous refusal, reported last year, to disclose whether the government had ordered Apple to embed a security backdoor into its iCloud service, effectively a global request or a UK-specific one. Apple, in response, ceased offering Advanced Data Protection (ADP) to new UK users, as enabling ADP would render iCloud data end-to-end encrypted, making it inaccessible to the government. The IPT ruled earlier that disclosing the existence of such a case wouldn’t endanger national security, prompting Apple to continue its fight. Apple’s legal challenge intensified when the UK government introduced a new Technical Capability Notice, specifically targeting UK users. Apple’s lawyer at the hearing argued that the government's policy of neither confirming nor denying the order’s existence hampers open justice and meaningful public discussion of the case. The IPT will now determine whether the government can persist with its “neither confirm nor deny” policy in this instance.",
  "summary": "Apple has challenged a UK court to lift the secrecy surrounding a recent order requiring the company to provide access to encrypted user data. The UK government has maintained a policy of neither confirming nor denying the existence of such orders, while companies subject to them are also restricted from disclosing that they have received one. Apple removed the option to enable Advanced Data Protection (ADP) for iCloud users in the UK due to the reported but officially unconfirmed order. In April 2025, judges rejected the UK government's attempt to keep even the basic details of Apple's legal challenge secret, ruling that disclosing the existence of the case would not harm national security. Recently, Apple launched a second legal challenge against the UK government after the original worldwide order was replaced by a new one specifically targeting British users. At a hearing before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) in London, Apple's lawyer argued that the government's secrecy policy prevents meaningful public discussion of the case and undermines the principle of open justice.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}