According to the Financial Times, Apple is challenging UK government data access orders. The order targeted iCloud backups that were protected by end-to-end encryption.
Last month, Press Leaks revealed the existence of a January order asking Apple to build a backdoor on iCloud encrypted backups. UK officials are exercising their powers through the National Security Monitoring Act to force iPhone manufacturers to provide clear data to law enforcement agencies.
Apple responded by announcing that UK users would be terminated from accessing a strongly encrypted version of their Icloud storage features. The challenges via IPT are submitted simultaneously for each FT, indicating that the company is engaged in attacks attempting to overturn orders against Advanced Data Protection (ADP) features, eliciting security offerings from the UK market.
The key factor is that Apple continues to provide strongly encrypted iCloud backups in other markets. According to Ft, the UK government believes Apple did not follow despite Apple's shutdown of functionality locally.
It also reports that this may be the first time that UK cryptocurrency has been tested in front of bodies overseeing security services, but suggests that the hearing is likely to be held in secret.
Apple declined to issue a new statement on the development, but a spokesman pointed to a statement issued last month. At the time, the company said it was a “significant disappointment” that UK users were unable to access security features.