Apple has urged the Home Office to drop its strict secrecy rules and officially acknowledge that it secretly ordered the technology giant to build a “backdoor” into iPhones.

Joined by human rights organisations Liberty and Privacy International, Apple appeared at the to argue for the removal of restrictions gagging officials from confirming the confidential surveillance order.

Lawyers representing the groups branded the current secrecy “farcical,” pointing out that high-ranking US officials, including Donald Trump and JD Vance, have already reported and openly discussed the order.

The legal battle stems from a Home Office directive requiring Apple to compromise the encryption protecting iPhone users’ iCloud accounts, which secure personal files, photos, contacts and messages.

Apple has strongly resisted the demand, maintaining that it would never build a mechanism to break its own encryption. Rather than complying with the order, Apple opted to disable its “Advanced Data Protection” feature for users in Britain.

During the case-management hearing, Daniel Beard KC, acting for Apple, argued that lifting the “neither confirm nor deny” restrictions is essential to allow the legal challenge to be heard openly. Ben Jaffey KC, representing Liberty and Privacy International, likened the secrecy order to the “emperor’s new clothes,” asserting that maintaining the pretence brings the administration of justice into disrepute.

Defending the government’s position, Neil Sheldon KC, representing Home Secretary , emphasized that surveillance laws are vital for preventing terrorist attacks and tackling child sexual abuse, warning that departing from confidentiality rules weakens their overall effectiveness.

The origin of the dispute traces back to an initial order placed under former home secretary Yvette Cooper, which was later reissued to apply specifically to individuals in Britain. The three-person tribunal, led by Lady Carmichael, reserved its judgment on whether to lift the reporting restrictions, leaving the core legal battle over device encryption under wraps for now.

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