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U.K. Home Office encryption access order for Apple

Public Sector Action
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1 unique sources, 1 articles

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The U.K. government dropped a technical capability notice that had required Apple to weaken iCloud encryption, removing a mandate that raised privacy and cross-border access risks. The order, issued in January 2025 under the Investigatory Powers Act, would have enabled blanket access to end-to-end encrypted cloud data for users outside the U.K. Apple had already switched off Advanced Data Protection (ADP) for U.K. users after the demand. The reversal matters because it closes off a state-backed route to encrypted data access that critics said could be abused.

Related Happenings

AGCM fine against Apple over ATT privacy practices

Regulatory/Legal Action
First: 23.12.2025 13:06 Last: 23.12.2025 13:06 Sources 1

About this happening: Italy's **AGCM** fined **Apple** **€98.6 million ($116 million)**, turning a privacy-design dispute over **App Tracking Transparency (ATT)** into a formal antitrust penalty that a...

Timeline

  1. 19.08.2025 14:24 1 articles · 9mo ago

    U.K. drops Apple encrypted iCloud backdoor mandate

    Legal Policy Action Update

    The U.K. government agreed to drop a technical capability notice that had required Apple to weaken iCloud Advanced Data Protection (ADP) and provide access to encrypted user data, after U.S. civil-liberties pushback led by DNI Tulsi Gabbard. The underlying order had been issued in January 2025 under the Investigatory Powers Act, Apple had already switched off ADP for iCloud in the U.K. earlier this February after the demand, and Apple appealed the legality of the order while the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) rejected secrecy efforts.

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