Apple fights UK iCloud order; Flock misreads 71% of alerts

Apple challenges UK government’s second iCloud encryption order

Apple has filed a new legal complaint with the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal against a government demand to access encrypted user data, according to a Financial Times report. The challenge targets a technical capability notice issued in October, which critics say effectively demands a backdoor into iCloud backups protected by Advanced Data Protection, Apple’s end-to-end encryption that makes data inaccessible even to Apple. This is the second such fight between Apple and the U.K. government. In early 2025, London issued a secret order demanding access to encrypted iCloud backups, which was dropped after intervention by the Trump administration. Following the first order, Apple removed the ability of U.K. users to enable Advanced Data Protection. Apple has not publicly commented on the new challenge, but maintains it has never built and will never build a backdoor or master key. The company filed the complaint in July, per the report.

Apple challenges UK government’s latest demand for iCloud backdoor: report →

Flock license plate readers misread plates in 71% of Roseville police alerts

An analysis by the Roseville, California police department found that Flock Safety’s AI-powered license plate readers incorrectly read plates in 71% of the 1,427 alerts the system sent in 2023 and 2024 flagging vehicles as stolen or used in a felony. Records obtained by Business Insider show the cameras missed vehicles, captured blurry images, misread characters and states, and sent delayed alerts. In one summer 2024 case, Flock sent at least six alerts misidentifying a man’s vehicle, repeatedly confusing a “9” for an “8.” Roseville’s unusual deployment, which the city requested to avoid capturing faces, used older hardware and cameras placed higher and farther from vehicles than Flock recommends. Flock says its cameras accurately read more than 96% of license plate characters in optimal conditions. None of the incorrect alerts resulted in a traffic stop or arrest because Roseville requires officers to independently verify a plate before stopping a vehicle. California lacks such a requirement, though states including Montana, Virginia, Washington, and Kentucky have passed laws mandating independent verification. California Assembly Member Josh Lowenthal called the errors disturbing, said they require immediate legislative action, and said he would call for a statewide review of license plate reader reliability. Max Isaacs of NYU’s Policing Project called the 71% misread rate “stunning” and “really beyond the pale,” adding that without concrete rules addressing misreads, the technology is not safe for community deployment. Roseville has spent around $450,000 on Flock products since 2020 and continues to contract with the company because the cameras have helped solve crimes.

Flock Misread License Plates in 71% of Alerts It Sent Roseville Police - Business Insider →

ExfilSquad leaks contact data of over 100,000 UK police officers

A cyberattack on the U.K.’s Police National Legal Database (PNLD) compromised contact data of more than 100,000 police officers and criminal justice professionals. The intrusion was detected on Sunday, July 26, and was later claimed by the ExfilSquad data extortion group, which alleges it stole 135,000 contact records, including information belonging to 114,000 PNLD subscribers and 21,000 users of the public-facing “Ask the Police” website. The breach exposed full names, organizations, and email addresses of police officers, staff, criminal justice professionals, and government partners, as well as names and email addresses of Ask the Police users who submitted questions. PNLD said no evidence has been found that passwords or other security credentials were compromised, and no confidential information relating to victims, witnesses, or offenders was impacted. The incident is being investigated with assistance from cybersecurity experts and the National Crime Agency, and the Information Commissioner’s Office has been notified. ExfilSquad, the same threat actor that recently claimed an attack on semiconductor company Analog Devices, demanded a ransom in exchange for not releasing the remaining stolen data and published sample data to support its claims. PNLD has confirmed the breach but has not publicly attributed the intrusion or disclosed how attackers gained access.

ExfilSquad hackers leak info of over 100,000 UK police officers, staff →

Proton VPN unveils Proton Protocols, a full client-side rebuild of its WireGuard codebase

Proton VPN introduced Proton Protocols, a complete client-side rebuild of its existing WireGuard codebase, discovered in the version 5.1.5 release notes for its Windows application. The new architecture overhauls how the app communicates with Proton’s global server network and promises quicker, more stable connections, along with automatic network conflict detection that identifies when other software like strict firewalls or third-party antivirus interferes with the VPN tunnel. The update also boosts anti-censorship capabilities for users in restrictive digital environments. A Proton spokesperson said the new codebase is easier to integrate with natively supported languages and can be deployed across platforms, bringing improved feature parity, including bringing the Stealth protocol to Linux and laying groundwork for post-quantum encryption. The 5.1.5 Windows release also fixes a bug where a sudden app or device crash left DNS rules active, potentially blocking web browsing after disconnecting from the VPN, and patches a reconnection flaw impacting users with IPv6 connectivity. A new direct connection feedback tool lets users rate connection quality with a thumbs up or thumbs down. The update is currently in beta on Windows, Android, and Linux, with Apple support coming soon.

Proton VPN quietly unveils a massive under-the-hood upgrade — here’s all we know about ‘Proton Protocols’ →