UK Government's Encryption Order Against Apple Sparks Privacy Concerns

Apple challenges a secret UK directive to weaken encryption, with activists and media pushing for public hearings on the implications for global privacy and security.

Apple is appealing a secret Technical Compliance Notice (TCN) issued under the UK's Investigatory Powers Act, which demands the company create a backdoor to encrypted iCloud data.
In response to the order, Apple disabled its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature in the UK, which offered end-to-end encryption that even Apple could not access.
Activist groups and media organizations argue that holding the case behind closed doors undermines public interest and global privacy rights, calling for transparency in the tribunal proceedings.
US lawmakers and privacy advocates warn that weakening encryption could have far-reaching consequences for cybersecurity and freedom of expression worldwide.
Critics highlight that breaking encryption could expose sensitive data to misuse by hostile actors, jeopardizing journalists, activists, and everyday users globally.