A London court has reportedly heard Apple’s appeal against a British government order requiring it to provide access to encrypted cloud storage.
The hearing, held at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal on Friday, took place behind closed doors, with no media or civil rights groups allowed to attend.
The case stems from a ‘technical capability notice’ issued to Apple, which allegedly compelled the company to create a backdoor into its encrypted services. In response, Apple removed its Advanced Data Protection feature for new users in Britain.
Neither Apple nor the UK government has confirmed the existence of the order, but reports suggest it has raised concerns among privacy advocates and foreign governments.
Civil rights groups, including Privacy International and Liberty, have condemned the secrecy of the proceedings, calling the order ‘unacceptable and disproportionate.’
Critics argue that allowing governments to bypass encryption undermines privacy and security for users worldwide. The issue has drawn international attention, with United States officials investigating whether Britain’s actions violated the CLOUD Act, which restricts demands for US citizens’ data.
Government officials have remained tight-lipped, with the Home Office refusing to comment and security ministers maintaining a policy of neither confirming nor denying such notices.
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