Apple has initiated a new legal challenge against the UK government over attempts to gain access to its encrypted user data, escalating a longstanding dispute between the technology company and British authorities. The action was taken at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), the judicial body responsible for handling surveillance-related complaints.

The conflict stems from the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act, often referred to as the “snooper’s charter,” which grants the Home Secretary the authority to issue technical capability notices requiring technology firms to provide access to encrypted data. The Home Office recently issued a second such notice demanding that Apple enable access to encrypted iCloud data of users in the United Kingdom.

This marks a renewed effort by UK officials following an earlier notice that was withdrawn less than a year ago amid legal and diplomatic tensions involving both the UK and the United States. Apple had previously challenged the Home Office’s demand at the IPT, with the case initially scheduled for a hearing in early 2023. However, that process was halted when the UK government withdrew its order in response to mounting pressure from the US government and support from other technology companies like WhatsApp, which sought to intervene on Apple’s behalf.

Apple has consistently refused to comply with the requests to create a “backdoor” into its encrypted services, citing concerns that weakening encryption protection for UK users would undermine security for customers worldwide. In response to the UK’s demands, Apple disabled its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature for UK users, a move the company said reflected its commitment to customer privacy amid rising threats such as data breaches.

In a statement last September, Apple expressed disappointment that ADP was unavailable in the UK, stressing the growing importance of end-to-end encryption to protect cloud storage. The company reaffirmed that it has never created, nor will it create, a backdoor or master key capable of bypassing its security measures.

The latest legal challenge signals a potential renewal of diplomatic friction between the UK and the US, with the dispute revolving around balancing national security interests and privacy rights in the digital age. The IPT will now consider Apple’s response to the Home Office’s second technical notice as the debate over encryption access continues.