US lawmakers urge secretive British court to open up about Apple case
Democrat Ron Wyden and Republican Warren Davidson tell investigatory powers tribunal that secrecy over encrypted data case is ‘needlessly’ straining US-UK relations
TL;DR
- US politicians Ron Wyden and Warren Davidson have written to the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) regarding Apple's legal fight over encrypted data.
- They are urging the tribunal to stop hiding details of the case, stating that the UK's secrecy is 'needlessly' straining US-UK relations.
- The dispute began when the UK Home Office demanded Apple provide access to encrypted iCloud backups worldwide, leading Apple to withdraw a feature from UK users.
- The US lawmakers argue that a foreign executive body should not dictate powers within the US government or use secrecy to frustrate US constitutional powers.
- They believe the Home Office is attempting to use a foreign secrecy order to override the constitutional powers of the US legislature.
- The IPT had previously ruled that certain details of the case could be made public, following an earlier intervention by lawmakers advocating for open justice.