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Apple is stepping up its fight with the British government over a demand to create a “back door” in its most secure cloud storage systems, by filing a legal complaint that it hopes will overturn the order.

The iPhone maker has made its appeal to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, an independent judicial body that examines complaints against the UK security services, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Silicon Valley company’s legal challenge is believed to be the first time that provisions in the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act allowing UK authorities to break encryption have been tested before the court. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal will consider whether the UK’s notice to Apple was lawful and, if not, could order it to be quashed.

The case could be heard as soon as this month, although it is unclear whether there will be any public disclosure of the hearing. The government is likely to argue the case should be restricted on national security grounds.

The Press Recognition Panel (PRP), an independent body which oversees the only official independent press regulator Impress (as opposed to the larger self-regulator Ipso), has just published its ninth annual report on the effectiveness of the press regulation system set up in the wake of the Leveson Inquiry into misconduct in the press.

It currently does not compel publishers to join the state-backed regulator on misconduct — but the so-called Section 40 axed last year would have enabled that to happen.

The report argues that while recent high-profile legal cases brought by celebrities such as Hugh Grant and Prince Harry have led to settlements and substantial payouts, the vast majority of victims of press abuse cannot afford to pursue justice and redress in the face of powerful and influential media owners. A system of independent — but enforceable — regulation would allow low-cost redress for those victims, according to the PRP.

Examples of press intrusion and harm highlighted in the report include CCTV footage of a fatal hit and run being posted on a news publisher’s website for “clickbait”, journalists informing siblings on the doorstep of the death of their brother in a terrorist attack, and news outlets falsely accusing people of murder.

“No other industry, including broadcast journalism, enjoys the privileges and protections that ‘news publishers’ enjoy in law,” the authors argue, adding: “However, these protections and privileges are not balanced by responsibility or accountability.”

News publishers are not required to participate in independent press self-regulation, which has resulted in a fractured and incoherent system.
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But all the major national titles have instead opted to set up their own complaints processes or join the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), which does not meet the criteria for an independent regulator — in part as it is dominated by the newspaper editors it is meant to oversee.

According to the analysis, between 2018 and 2022, IPSO investigated just 3.82% and upheld 0.56% of the eligible complaints it received, far lower than the proportion of cases upheld by Impress.

The PRP’s report notes that news publishers often cite concerns around the impact of regulation on freedom of the press as one of their reasons for not joining a regulator which meets the criteria for independence.

But the PRP argues that members of Impress undertake “high-quality investigative journalism without any constraint from the regulator” — as long as they can justify their actions as being in the public interest.

Broadcasters also undertake high-quality, award-winning investigative journalism despite being subject to statutory regulation under Ofcom.

Skeet

In an abrupt about-face, King Charles III of the United Kingdom announced on Monday that he was downgrading Donald J. Trump’s upcoming state visit to lunch with Prince Andrew.

Instead of Windsor Castle, where the state visit was to be held, the lunch between Andrew and Trump will now occur at a Pizza Express restaurant in Woking.

According to royal sources, Andrew was “incandescent with rage” when his older brother informed him of the engagement, but the King told him, “Sorry, chap, you’ve got to take one for the team.”

After Andrew asked what he and Trump could possibly talk about over their pizza, Charles suggested, “Maybe you two can reminisce about your good times with Jeffrey Epstein.”

The UK and Ukraine have agreed a £2.26bn loan to support Ukraine's defence capabilities, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko says.

Volodymyr Zelensky and Sir Keir Starmer, together with Chancellor Rachel Reeves, held a video call with Marchenko this evening.

Marchenko wrote on social media, external that the funds are "ensured by frozen Russian assets".

He added that he was "grateful" to the UK for "holding the aggressor accountable for the war".
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Posting on X in the last few moments, Zelensky wrote: "This loan will enhance Ukraine’s defence capabilities and will be repaid using revenues from frozen Russian assets.

"The funds will be directed toward weapons production in Ukraine. This is true justice - the one who started the war must be the one to pay.

"I thank the people and government of the United Kingdom for their tremendous support from the very beginning of this war.

"We are happy to have such strategic partners and to share the same vision of what a secure future should look like for all."

Kofi

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