UK Faces Pressure to Lift Secrecy on Apple Encryption Court Battle

A growing chorus of politicians and civil liberties groups is urging the UK government to hold a secret court hearing on Apple’s encryption battle in public. The closed-door session, scheduled for Friday at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, is believed to address a legal order compelling Apple to provide access to encrypted iCloud accounts.

Apple recently disabled end-to-end encryption for iCloud users in the UK, reportedly in response to a government directive. However, the Home Office has refused to confirm or deny such an order, sparking backlash from privacy advocates who argue that the lack of transparency is unjustifiable.

In a joint letter to Lord Justice Singh, civil rights organisations argued that there is “no good reason” to keep the hearing entirely private, especially as Apple’s move has already made the issue public. They maintain that the government’s approach undermines accountability and erodes trust in digital security policies.

Politicians from across the spectrum, including Conservative MP David Davis, have also voiced concerns. Davis warned that if the government wants “unchecked access” to private data, it must be willing to justify its position openly.

Apple has not commented on the specifics of the case but has reiterated its commitment to never creating backdoors in its products. The controversy highlights the ongoing global struggle between governments seeking greater surveillance powers and tech companies defending encryption as a fundamental privacy safeguard.