Investigatory Powers Tribunal rules that Apple’s appeal against the Home Office will no longer proceed because of a ‘change in circumstances’
Investigatory Powers Tribunal rules that Apple’s appeal against the Home Office will no longer proceed because of a ‘change in circumstances’
Apple has agreed with the Home Office to drop its legal appeal against a government order requiring it to provide intelligence services and law enforcement with the capability to access encrypted data of Apple users worldwide.
The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has ruled that the case will no longer proceed following a “change in circumstances”, according to court documents obtained by Computer Weekly.
The decision effectively brings Apple’s legal action against the Home Office to a halt, although a separate legal claim brought by campaign groups Privacy International and Liberty is expected to continue.
It comes days after disclosures that the Home Office has issued a new order against Apple to restrict UK government access to encrypted data and messages stored on Apple’s iCloud service only for British users.
The move by the Home Office ends a growing diplomatic row between the UK and the Trump administration over fears that the UK could use the order to access the communications of US citizens.Claim dismissed
According to a court order obtained by Computer Weekly, Apple and the Home Office have agreed that Apple’s appeal should no longer go ahead.
“This claim is dismissed on the basis of a change in circumstances which, the tribunal has decided, means the claim should no longer proceed,” the order on 6 October stated.
Apple did not comment on the withdrawal of its legal case and declined to say whether it would issue a new legal challenge against the Home Office’s revised order.
However, a company spokesperson confirmed that Apple would still not be able to offer its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) service, which it withdrew from the UK rather than comply with the Home Office’s order – to its UK customers.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
