Two US lawmakers ask Britain’s investigatory powers tribunal (IPT) to provide more information about how it handles Apple’s legal challenge to a government demand involving access to encrypted customer data. A bipartisan letter, shared in advance of being submitted to the IPT, argues that secrecy around the proceedings is straining US-UK relations.
The lawmakers—Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat, and Congressman Warren Davidson, a Republican—say the UK government’s approach “needlessly” complicates cooperation between the two allies. They also argue that UK practices of confidentiality directives conflict with US constitutional limits on what foreign authorities can do in relation to US legislative oversight.
One outlet traces the dispute to January 2025, when the UK Home Office served Apple with a notice under the Investigatory Powers Act. Apple responded by changing its service protections for UK users, withdrawing an Advanced Data Protection feature. Apple later challenged the order at the IPT, but the case was reportedly dismissed after the Home Office withdrew the original notice and issued a narrower one targeting only British users’ data. The outlets’ common emphasis is on calls for greater tribunal transparency rather than changing the merits of the underlying dispute.
