US lawmakers ask UK court for transparency into Apple backdoor order

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) speaks during a press conference following a luncheon with Senate Democrats in the U.S. Capitol Building in 2023. Wyden led a bipartisan letter to the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal asking for full transparency about their demand for Apple to provide the nation's law enforcement with access to customers’ encrypted files worldwide. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

A coalition of bipartisan lawmakers in the House and Senate asked a powerful United Kingdom tribunal for full transparency about a legal demand issued to Apple that would mandate UK law enforcement operatives be granted worldwide, unfettered access to users’ protected iCloud data.

The Washington Post reported last month that the UK issued a secret order to Apple requesting that the tech giant provide its law enforcement and intelligence personnel with the “blanket capability” to access customers’ encrypted files worldwide, meaning Apple customers residing in the ...