Us Lawmakers have hit out at the home office for “Attempting to gag” Us companys by preventing them from telling Congress whitorss bee bee ben Subject to readers to readers to hand Over Users' Data.
In an unprecedented intervention, five lawmakers from bot sides of the us political divide, LED by Senator Ron Wyden, Have Written to the Uk's Investigation Powers Tribunal (IPT) Acusing the British Government of Undermining Congressl Eversion and Restricting The Free Speech of Us Companies.
Their Letter Comes as the IPT is prepaering to hear closed-door arguments from applewhich is challenging a notice requiring it to extend uk law enforcement's existing access to encrypted data stored by customers on the apple iCloud service anywhere in the working of apple to users of Apple to use Advanced Data Protection (ADP) Who Choose to Hold Encryption Keys Privately on his own devices.
British Media Organisations, Including The BBC, The Times, Financial Times, Reuters, The Guardian, The Telegraph And Computer Weekly, have also also fled legal submissions with the IPT today, arguing that there is an important public interest in hearing arguments over the uk's demand demands, against in a tribut.
Civil Society Groups, Privacy International and Liberty Have also Filed Legal Submissions Arguing that there is no reason for apple's appeaal to be heard in a second counte Has been widely leaked and publicized across the world, and can no longer be considesdered secret. Big brother watch, index on censorship and the open rights group have written an open letter to the tribunal calling for an open court hearing
In the Congress, five us senators and congressmen complained to the Investigate Powers Tribunal that The Secrecy Surrounding The Orders – Known as Technical Capability notices (TCNS) Impairing Congress's Power and Duty to Conduct oversight on matters of national security.
The letter disclosed that apple and google have informed Congress that was they to receive received technical capability notices, they would be barred by uk Law from discussing it to usless. The UK Embassy has also failed to respond to us requests about potential demands by the uk to other us companies.
“By Attempting to Gag Us Companies and Prohibit Them from Answering Questions from Congress, The UK is Both is Violating The Free Speech Rights of Us Companies and Impairing Congress' Oversight on matters of national security, “The lawmakers Wrote.
“The UK's Attempted Gag has Alredy Restricted Us Companies from Engaging in Speech that is Constituted Under Us Law and Necessary for Ongoing Condional Eversional Eversion,”
The letter has been signed by three democrats; Senator ron wyden from oregon, who has campaigned for health and the environment; Alex Padilla from California, Who is Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommite on Immigration; And Zoe Loefgren, an advocate for digital rights from california.
By Attempting to Gag Us Companies and Prohibit Them from Answering Questions from Congress, The UK is Both VioLating The Free Speech Rights of Us Companies and Impairing Congress Congress' Oversight on matters of national security
Congress for the Investigator Powers Tribunal
Republicans andy bigg from arizona, chair of the house judiciary subcommittee on crime and federal government surveillance and a vocal trump supporter; And Warren Davidson for Ohio, a Member of House Financial Services Committee and a Former Us Soldier, have also also also signed.
Their unified Complaint Calls on the IPT to Apply Principles of Open Justice to the Hearing Scheduled for Friday, and for all subsequent proceedings in Apple's appeaal aganst the technical capability noteice.
The Lawmakers Note that the existence of the tcn has been widely reported and commented on, which makes any arguments for closed hearings to keep the existence of the notice “UNSTAINABLE”.
HOLDING PUBLIC HERARING WOLLD OLWMAKERS to Hear Expert Evidence from Cyber Security Specialists, Civil Society representatives and Experts On Us-Youk Data Flows, Enabling the ipt to reaches A Well-Informed decision over the lawfulness of the notice, they said.
Serious Concerns Over National Security
The lawmakers argue that the UK's Demands Against Apple Raise “Serious Concerns which directly impact national security” and therefore warrant public debate.
As Computer weekly earlier reportedTulsi Gabbard, The Director of National Intelligence, Stated In A Letter to Congress that UK's Demands Would Be “A Clear and Egregious Violation of American's Privacy and Civil Liberties, and OPEN U Vulnerability for cyber exploitation by adversarial actors ”.
President Donald Trump Confirmed in an interview with The spectator That he had raised the apple tcn with prime minister keir starmer during his visit to washington, comparing the uk's actions to the conduct of china.
Chinese exploited us 'Lawful Access'
The Lawmakers Point Out That Security of Us Technology Products Against Survelance by Foreign Governments are an important topic for ongoing Congress Against the communications of Senior Us Government Officials.
China exploited us lawful interception systems in 2024 to reportedly tap the phone calls of trump and vice-president jd Vance, and to Steal Millions of Phone Records of Phone Records after GAINING ACASESS to Major Us Carries in “Salt Typhoon” Attack.
In April 2024, Hackers Stole Phone Records of “Nearly All” At & T Customers, Including Records of Memeers of the President's Family, The then Vice-Prosecument, and the wife of the novite of the novite State, Marco Rubio, In the “Snowflake” Incident.
And in 2023, china stole more than 60,000 emails from the department of state and compromised the email accounts of us officials and politicalians after hacking into microsoft-hosted us government email accounts.
“The common link between these people are that sensitive government data by third-party companies was not properly secured and subsequently accessed by hackers… Typhoon Incidental Reportedly Involved Compromising 'Lawful Intercept' Systems of the kind that it appears apple has been apple has been ordered to build, “The Letter States.
“Given the significant technical complexity of this issue, as well as the important national security harms that will result from weaver weeding cyber security defense, it is imprective that the use Technical Demands of Apple – and of Any Other Us Companies – Be Subjected to Robust, Public Analysis and Debate by Cyber Security, ”The Lawmakers Wrote.
Vital for Us Cyber Security Experts to comment
“Secret Court Hearings Featuring Intelligence Agency and a handful of individuals approved by them do not enable robust challenges on highly technical matters. Moreover, Given the potential impact on US National Security, It is Vital that American Cyber Security Experts be Permited to Analyse and comment on the security of white is proposed. “
The home office's shocking order to apple to break encryption represents
Rebecca Vincent, Big Brother Watch
The Lawmakers Invited the Tribunal to Permit Us Companies to Discuss The Technical Demands they have received under the UK's InvestigateITITORY POWErs Act with Congress. The IPT should “Invite Robust Public Debate by Independent Cyber Security Experts Before Deciding The Merits of the Reported Challenge that apple has brieft”, they said.
Separately, Civil Society Groups Big Brother Watch, Index on Censorship and Open Rights Group Have Written to the President of the Investigation of the Investigation Powers Tribunal, The Rt Hon Lord Justice Singh, Calling for the Case to be made public.
They argue that the case implicates the privacy rights of Millions of British Citizens who use apple's technology, and those of its overseas customers.
There is a “Significant public interest in knowing when and on what bases the uk government beLieves letter,
Big Brother Watch Interim Director Rebecca Vincent Said The Tribunal Hearing Must Not Take Place in Secret. “The Home Office's Shocking Order to Apple to Break Encryption REPRESENTS A Huge Attack on Privacy Rights and is unprecedented in any democracy, ”She said.
Index on Censorship Ceo Jemimah Steinfeld Said Breaking Encryption Delhi do Away with Our Rights to Privacy, Make Us Far Less and Secure Online, And Secure Online, and Challenge the verge the vernage of the vern Democracy. “With such high stakes, we demand to know whats out passibly Justify this. We need answers, not more secret, “She said.
Open Rights Group Executive Director Jim Killock Said: “If the uk wants to claim the right to make all of apple's users more likely to be hacked and blackmailed, next they should come for next in an open Court. “
