UK courts puts your privacy on (more) public trial
The point of the video is that Apple’s privacy protections protect you.
In a nine-page ruling, Lord Justice Singh and Mr Justice Johnson today confirmed that Apple is acting against the UK Home Office to protect privacy in the UK.
The government had claimed that confirming this was the case would threaten national security.
I think the case itself does that.
Demanding data access
What’s at issue is Home Office demands that seem to demand a backdoor into people’s private data. Apple has been resisting this attempt to destroy privacy, an attempt which would also undermine privacy worldwide and likely undermine business confidence.
But the UK government had decided to try to gain these rights without a public trial outside of the public eye. It has now lost its bid for that, and while the substance of the case may still be kept secret “for your protection” (allegedly).
The fact that the case is taking place is at least now confirmed, saying: “We do not accept that the revelation of the bare details of the case would be damaging to the public interest or prejudicial to national security.”
Perhaps the public really should have some say?
They also said it would be possible for some or all of the future hearings in this case to “incorporate a public element, with or without reporting restrictions” though they could not decide that at this stage of the case.
Apple has been challenging the UK demands to trample over consumer privacy, which forced the company to remove its Advanced Data Protection system for sale from the UK.
While the fact the case has now been confirmed doesn’t really change much, it does at least suggest the judges in this case do at least seem to agree that when the very notion of digital privacy is up for challenge, the public should at least know the conversation is taking place. This was precisely what the Labour government was attempting to deny.
I’d love to say we’ll keep you posted, but the way this case is shaping up, we probably won’t be able to. It is shameful.
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