A court has thwarted the British government’s effort to hide a legal battle over its push to access Apple iCloud user data, marking a win for privacy supporters.
Ryan Gallagher for Bloomberg News:
The UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal, a special court that handles cases related to government surveillance, said the authorities’ efforts were a “fundamental interference with the principle of open justice” in a ruling issued on Monday.
The development comes after it emerged in January that the British government had served Apple with a demand to circumvent encryption that the company uses to secure user data stored in its cloud services.
Apple challenged the request, while taking the unprecedented step of removing its advanced data protection feature for its British users. The government had sought to keep details about the demand — and Apple’s challenge of it — from being publicly disclosed.
Apple previously said in a statement that it was “gravely disappointed” that it had to remove its advanced data protection feature for customers in the UK.
MacDailyNews Take: Again:
It’s not enough that every Brit alive has a government camera shoved up their ass 24/7/365? The UK has already slipped far down the slope that they ought to rename the place Airstrip One. – MacDailyNews, November 3, 2015
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. – Benjamin Franklin
The current batshit insane “leadership” of Airstrip One is having yet another crisis of confidence. – MacDailyNews, February 7, 2025
Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself. – Potter Stewart
MacDailyNews Note: Apple’s Advanced Data Protection for iCloud is an optional setting that offers Apple’s highest level of cloud data security. If you choose to enable Advanced Data Protection, the majority of your iCloud data — including iCloud Backup, Photos, Notes, and more — is protected using end-to-end encryption. No one else can access your end-to-end encrypted data, not even Apple, and this data remains secure even in the case of a data breach in the cloud.
How to turn on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud
On Mac
- Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
- Click your name, then click iCloud.
- Click Advanced Data Protection, then click Turn On.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to review your recovery methods and enable Advanced Data Protection.
On iPhone and iPad
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name, then tap iCloud.
- Scroll down, tap Advanced Data Protection, then tap Turn on Advanced Data Protection.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to review your recovery methods and enable Advanced Data Protection.
More info about Apple’s Advanced Data Protection for iCloud here.
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