It seems that the UK wanted (and still wants) way more access to iPhones than previously thought

This contradicts recent statements from US officials, including Trump's intelligence director Gabbard, who said the UK had agreed to drop efforts to access Americans' encrypted data.



Apple challenged the Home Office's order in March, arguing that creating a backdoor into its cloud systems would undermine user privacy.

The IPT filing lists the "assumed facts" for next year’s court hearing. These are rules that let both sides prepare without breaking secrecy laws and aren’t confirmed as true. Apple first mentioned the order in February when it removed ADP encryption for UK users. But the filing shows the Home Office wants access to Apple’s regular iCloud too. This could include messages, passwords, and backups from users around the world, not just in the UK.

The UK Investigatory Powers Act gives authorities wide-ranging powers, theoretically allowing law enforcement to access data held anywhere in the world. Critics have labeled the law a "snooper's charter", while the UK maintains it is necessary for tackling terrorism and other crimes.

As the case moves toward court, questions remain over how far the UK can legally extend its surveillance powers and how this will affect the privacy of iCloud users worldwide.

This will only make things worse and even more people will lose faith in their governments. Last time when I reported on the Apple/UK saga, I asked this simple question, and the poll results speak for themselves:



Could that trend even be reversed?