Technotips: Apple warns of FaceTime scam that could wipe out bank account Apple has filed a new lawsuit in the United Kingdom to try to prevent the British government from forcing the company to create a means of accessing encrypted user data stored in the cloud, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Monday (3). According to the publication, the company last month filed a challenge to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, an independent body responsible for judging disputes involving state surveillance and investigative powers. The action challenges a requirement by the British Home Office that Apple allow government access to UK users' encrypted backups. These backups are backup copies of data stored in the cloud. They are protected by encryption, a technology that scrambles information so that only the account owner can access it. A person uses a phone to photograph iPhones on display during the Apple event. Manuel Orbegozo/File/Reuters The British government wants Apple to create a way to bypass this protection — known as a "backdoor" — allowing access to data even when it is encrypted. It's not the first time Last year, the United Kingdom withdrew from a similar proposal, which would have allowed access to data from British and American users, after months of negotiations with the United States government, then presided over by Donald Trump. According to the Financial Times, British authorities subsequently issued a new technical determination aimed at Apple. This time, the measure only applies to data from users in the United Kingdom, without reaching customers in the United States. When contacted, a British government spokesperson stated that it does not comment on legal proceedings or operational issues, including the existence or not of notifications sent to companies. In a statement, the government stated that it supports the use of encryption to protect citizens' privacy, but defended that authorities have access to communications when this is considered necessary and proportionate to investigate cases of terrorism, serious crimes and child sexual abuse. Apple WWDC 2026 Reproduction/YouTube/Apple Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. For Ruth Ehrlich, director of external relations at the human rights organization Liberty, the case could have lasting consequences for the protection of privacy. According to her, creating a "back door" to access protected information increases the risks to users' personal data and requires the government to take into account the concerns of experts and society before adopting this type of measure.