The UK Home Office is not backing down on its order to Apple to create a backdoor to its encryption, and new court documents have revealed the extent of its request.

According to a new court ruling, the Home Office’s order sought access to data and messages stored on Apple’s iCloud from UK and overseas users.

The order specifically called on Apple to “remove electronic protection where practicable” on data stored in the iCloud, both within and out with the UK.

A court document from the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, released on 27 August, found that the Home Office included not just the original order to create a backdoor to Apple’s Advanced Data Protection tool used for encryption, but includes “obligations to provide and maintain a capability to disclose categories of data stored within a cloud based backup service and to remove electronic protection which is applied to the data where that is reasonably practicable.”

Further, it says that the obligations in the technical capability notice (TCN) “are not limited to the UK or users of the service in the UK: they apply globally in respect of the relevant data categories of all iCloud users.”

Prior to the release of this document, it was widely understood that the Home Office TCN only focused on data stored using ADP, a highly-secure encryption technology that blocks even Apple from accessing user data.

Further, the document was revealed just days after the US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard posted on social media platform X that the UK had agreed to drop its back door order, though this was not confirmed by Apple or the Home Office.

Apple has maintained that it refuses to create any backdoor to any of its encryption tools, viewing privacy as a “fundamental human right,” according to its website.

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The Investigatory Powers Tribunal released a decision on 27 August, saying that the Home Office’s order and powers can be applied outside of the UK.

The Home Office still has not confirmed or denies the existence of the order, as is per its remit as a secret notice.

The Tribunal has decided then to proceed with its hearing on “assumed facts”, with open court hearings scheduled for the beginning of 2026.

The Home Office’s notice would enable the UK to conduct targeted communications interception rather than bulk surveillance.

UK law enforcement would therefore be allowed to apply for targeted warrants to obtain iCloud data that has been encrypted, or thematic warrants on multiple people or organisations, as long as these are from a single investigation.