Category: Cyber Security | Published: 2025-07-03
Secret UK Orders to Access Encrypted Data
The dispute stems from a Technical Capability Notice (TCN) reportedly issued to Apple by the UK Home Office under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, i.e., legislation that allows UK authorities to compel technology firms to provide access to communications and stored data where necessary for law enforcement and national security.
This particular TCN is believed to have required Apple to create a way for UK authorities to access encrypted content held in users’ iCloud accounts, including personal files, messages, and notes. Apple’s Advanced Data Protection (ADP) system, introduced globally in late 2022, uses end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to protect this data, meaning only the user, not even Apple, has access to it.
When Apple received the notice, it pulled the ADP feature from the UK in February 2025 and launched a legal appeal through the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the specialist court that handles intelligence and surveillance disputes. The case was initially held behind closed doors, but following pressure from media organisations, a judge ruled in April that certain details should be made public due to the significance of the case.