Government issues new data demand for UK Apple users

The UK government has issued a new order giving it the right to demand access to the personal data of Apple's British users, the BBC understands.

It is the latest development in the ongoing dispute between Apple and the Home Office over data privacy.

The UK says it needs to be able to access individuals' private data - when backed by an appropriate warrant - if there is a threat to national security.

Apple maintains that privacy is at the heart of its business and says it will not compromise on data protection anywhere in the world.

The Home Office has declined to comment.

"We do not comment on operational matters, including for example confirming or denying the existence of any such notices," a Home Office spokesperson said.

"We will always take all actions necessary at the domestic level to keep UK citizens safe."

As first reported by the Financial Times, the new instruction is understood to replace a previous order stating that the UK authorities needed to be able to access the data of Apple users anywhere in the world, in the event of a national security risk.

This infuriated the US administration, with Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, describing it as a "clear and egregious violation of Americans' privacy and civil liberties".

Ms Gabbard said in August the UK had withdrawn its demand.

It is possible that the latest order, which does not include Apple customers outside the UK, is designed as a compromise.

In the early stages of the row, Apple removed its toughest data protection tool, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), from the UK market and embarked on legal action.

A tribunal hearing is still due to take place in January 2026.

Security concerns

Although some existing users still have it for now, Apple said in a statement it was "gravely disappointed" that it could no longer offer ADP in the UK.

"Enhancing the security of cloud storage with end-to-end encryption is more urgent than ever before," it said, citing rising incidents of data breaches and cyber attacks.

"Apple remains committed to offering our users the highest level of security for their personal data and are hopeful that we will be able to do so in the future in the United Kingdom," the company added.

"As we have said many times before, we have never built a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services and we never will."

The firm cannot legally comment on the existence of these orders because they are supposed to be kept secret.

But a judge sided with a coalition of civil liberties groups and news organisations, including the BBC, to rule that the legal row between the government and Apple could not be held in secret.

"By using a secret order to undermine the security of Apple products, the UK Government is making security harder for us all," said Caroline Wilson Palow, legal director for Privacy International, in a statement.

"If this new order isn't stopped, the UK Government will likely issue similar orders to other companies, too."

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