The UK government has ordered Apple to give law enforcement access to encrypted iCloud backups of British users, escalating a long-running dispute over data privacy and surveillance powers.
The move, first reported by the Financial Times, follows a failed attempt earlier this year to demand global access, which triggered a sharp backlash from Washington.
In September, the Home Office issued a technical capability notice (TCN) under the Investigatory Powers Act requiring Apple to create a “back door” into its cloud storage service, but limited the order to UK users, according to people briefed on the matter.
A broader demand in January had included US customers, drawing objections from Donald Trump’s administration and raising fears it could derail trade negotiations.
Apple withdrew its most secure cloud option, iCloud advanced data protection, from the UK in February.
The company said on Wednesday: “We are gravely disappointed that the protections provided by ADP are not available to our customers in the UK given the continuing rise of data breaches and other threats to customer privacy”.
“We have never built a back door or master key to any of our products or services and we never will”.
The Home Office hasn’t confirm the existence of the notice, saying only: “We will always take all actions necessary at the domestic level to keep UK citizens safe”
Both parties are legally barred from discussing TCNs in detail.
Privacy campaigners warned the order risks weakening protections worldwide.
Caroline Wilson Palow, legal director at Privacy International, said: “If Apple breaks end-to-end encryption for the UK, it breaks it for everyone. The resulting vulnerability can be exploited by hostile states, criminals and other bad actors the world over”.
The order comes as the UK and US attempt to stabilise relations over data access.
Key figures in Trump’s government, including vice-president JD Vance and intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard, had pressured Britain to scale back earlier demands.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer raised the issue with Trump during his state visit in September, though US officials are no longer pushing London to retract the revised order.
The case is expected to return to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, where Apple is challenging the legality of the demands alongside groups including Liberty and Privacy International.