Apple has begun legal action to resist a secret demand by the U.K. government for access to iPhone users’ data. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” the Financial Times reports that the company has made an appeal to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, seeking (likely on grounds of U.S. national security) to have the order quashed.
The tribunal is connected to but independent from the British Home Office and investigates complaints about intelligence services, law enforcement agencies, and public authorities. It will consider whether the demand, which was based on the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act, was lawful. This will be the first time a court has tested the government’s powers to break encryption under the act, so it could have far-reaching consequences.
Read more at Macworld.com