Apple has launched a fresh legal challenge against the UK government’s latest attempt to obtain access to encrypted user data, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The technology giant has reportedly filed a case with the UK’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the specialist court responsible for overseeing disputes involving government surveillance powers, after receiving a new “technical capability notice” last year.
A technical capability notice is a confidential legal order that can require technology companies to provide access to user data, including information protected by encryption.
Privacy advocates argue that such requests effectively seek a backdoor into Apple’s Advanced Data Protection (ADP) system, which secures iCloud backups with end-to-end encryption, ensuring only the account holder can access the stored data and preventing Apple itself from viewing the content.
The latest legal dispute follows a similar confrontation between Apple and the UK government in early 2025, when authorities reportedly issued a secret order requesting access to encrypted iCloud backups.
That earlier order was later withdrawn following intervention by the Trump administration. In response to the original request, Apple removed the ability for UK users to enable Advanced Data Protection, limiting access to its highest level of cloud encryption.
According to the report, the UK government issued a second technical capability notice in October, prompting Apple to return to court in an effort to challenge the latest demand and defend the security of its encrypted cloud services.
