The U.K. government has been unsuccessful in its efforts to keep secret the details of a surveillance order issued against Apple, according to a ruling published by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in London. The decision means elements of the case, previously shrouded in secrecy, will now be examined publicly, despite the government’s objections.
In its ruling, the tribunal’s judges concluded they “do not accept that the revelation of the bare details of the case would be damaging to the public interest or prejudicial to national security.” The judgment is significant, marking the first public acknowledgment from an official body that such a legal action between Apple and the U.K. government exists, although specifics about the case still remain withheld from public view.
The nature of the dispute reportedly concerns a legal demand issued by the U.K. Home Office, compelling Apple to grant government authorities access to the encrypted cloud data of Apple users, potentially anywhere in the world.
Earlier reports, originating from leaks to the press, disclosed the U.K.’s attempt to enforce a backdoor into Apple’s data encryption. Following these disclosures, Apple decided it could no longer offer “Advanced Data Protection,” its high-security encryption feature preventing third-party access—even by Apple itself—to its U.K. users.
Apple contested this governmental directive in front of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which subsequently faced requests from the Home Office arguing that revealing the case openly could harm national security. Apple and the Home Office have declined to comment specifically on the case, citing existing national security rules that even prohibit acknowledging its existence.
Transparency and civil liberties advocates, international media groups, prominent U.S. politicians from both political parties, and senior intelligence officials from past U.S. administrations have collectively urged greater openness regarding the matter, underscoring wide-ranging implications for global privacy and encryption standards.
Historically, Apple has consistently maintained its position against weakening encryption or creating a backdoor. A company representative previously stated to the media that Apple has “never built a backdoor or master key” for its products and services and has no intention of doing so in the future.
Representatives for both the Home Office and Apple did not immediately provide further commentary after the Tribunal’s ruling became public.
