On Friday, a London court held a classified hearing reportedly linked to Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) appeal against a British government order requiring the company to create a “back door” into its encrypted cloud storage. Despite formal media requests, journalists were barred from attending the proceedings.
The case has intensified global privacy concerns, particularly after The Washington Post reported in February that the UK had issued a technical capability notice (TCN) to Apple. This directive compels the company to grant access to encrypted messages and photos, impacting users worldwide. In response, Apple disabled its Advanced Data Protection encryption for new iCloud users in the UK.
Both Apple and the British government have refused to publicly confirm the notice, keeping the legal battle shrouded in secrecy. The BBC identified the Investigatory Powers Tribunal—a court overseeing allegations of unlawful surveillance—as the venue for Apple’s legal challenge.
Top government lawyer James Eadie, known for handling high-profile national security cases, attended the hearing but declined to comment. Apple has yet to issue an official response.
A coalition of ten media organizations, including Reuters and the BBC, formally requested the case be made public. However, while the court acknowledged the request, media representatives were not allowed to attend the six-hour session.
Why This Matters
Apple’s legal fight against government-ordered encryption backdoors could set a major precedent for digital privacy worldwide. As governments push for increased surveillance capabilities, tech giants and privacy advocates continue to resist policies that could weaken security for all users.
