Apple Fights UK Encrypted Data Order; Court Clears Photos Faceprint Suit

Apple Files New Legal Challenge to UK Encrypted Data Demand

Apple has launched fresh legal action against the UK government at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal after the Home Office issued a second notice seeking access to encrypted iCloud data. This follows the withdrawal of an earlier order less than a year ago, which had sparked a diplomatic dispute with Washington. The dispute centers on the Investigatory Powers Act, which allows the Home Secretary to force tech companies to provide access to encrypted data.

Apple has refused to build a backdoor, arguing that weakening encryption for UK users compromises security globally. The company has already disabled its Advanced Data Protection feature for UK users entirely, stating it has never built a backdoor or master key and never will. The first legal challenge saw other tech players, including WhatsApp, apply to intervene in support of Apple. A hearing is expected early this year, opening the door to another diplomatic clash between London and Washington.

Apple’s legal action against UK data demands sparks showdown →

Snapchat AI Flag Lands Student Teacher in Jail Over Private Joke

Kristen Volpe, a 22-year-old student teacher at John L. Hensey Elementary in Washington, Illinois, was arrested on January 29, 2025, after a private Snapchat message she sent to her boyfriend and two roommates was flagged by the platform’s automated system. The message, sent after a student closed her laptop mid-class, referenced shooting the student or the school, which Volpe described as a frustrated joke. No student, parent, or coworker reported the message; the flag was entirely automated.

Snapchat’s AI reported the message to the FBI, which alerted the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies arrived at the school within roughly one hour, and Volpe was arrested for disorderly conduct and held overnight before being released on $0 bond. No formal court charges were filed, and her student-teaching placement was terminated. Deputies concluded there was no actual threat, but only after interviewing her and reviewing her phone. The case highlights Snapchat’s policy of permitting voluntary emergency disclosures to law enforcement without a warrant when its algorithm determines imminent harm exists.

Student Teacher Sent a Private Snapchat Complaining About Her Workday. An Hour Later, Police Pulled Up to Her School. - Gadget Review →

Court Allows 32.5 Billion Dollar Class Action Over Apple Photos Faceprints

A federal judge has cleared a class-action lawsuit against Apple over the Photos app’s facial recognition feature to proceed, allowing millions of Illinois iPhone owners to join. The case centers on the People album, which plaintiffs allege builds a unique faceprint for people in photo libraries, including non-iPhone owners, and stores the data on Apple’s servers for some users. This server-side update applies to users with iCloud Photos enabled who use at least 10GB of storage and have at least 5,000 photos and videos.

Plaintiffs argue this constitutes collecting biometric data without consent, violating Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, which requires written consent and carries fines of up to $5,000 per violation if intentional or reckless. With roughly 6.5 million people in the largest class group, Apple’s worst-case exposure is approximately $32.5 billion. The judge denied Apple’s request for permission to appeal, clearing the way for the case to return to district court. Apple has argued the numerical vectors cannot re-create a face and that it lacks access to the vector data.

Apple Photos lawsuit over facial recognition data can move forward →

European Regulators Move Toward Banning Meta Smart Glasses

Several European countries, including France, Germany, and the Netherlands, are considering banning Meta’s smart glasses as regulators examine whether the devices comply with privacy laws. The European Data Protection Board is expected to issue a report on smart glasses by the end of summer, examining potential privacy risks and possible regulatory measures. However, some countries are pursuing their own approaches, with Germany’s Hamburg data protection commissioner calling the glasses disguised cameras and suggesting they could be prohibited under German law banning recording devices hidden in everyday objects.

Concerns intensified after digital rights organization HateAid revealed that police in Potsdam received complaints from young women alleging they were secretly recorded by male strangers using Meta Glasses at a public swimming pool. In the Netherlands, Bits of Freedom is calling for restrictions similar to rules covering spyware and stalkerware, warning that widespread use would destroy privacy on the street. France’s CNIL warned in May that the devices pose a significant risk of creating a form of surveillance that is almost invisible and omnipresent, potentially leading to a profound transformation of our societies.

Meta Smart Glasses Face Calls for Bans Across Europe Over Privacy Concerns →

Senate Committee Advances Age Verification Bills Critics Call Privacy Disaster

The Senate Commerce Committee, chaired by Ted Cruz, convened Wednesday on five bills addressing age verification and child safety, including the SCREEN Act, a partisan Republican measure introduced by Utah Senator Mike Lee. The bill would require every website containing even one piece of content deemed harmful to minors to verify visitors’ ages, applying to most sites with user-generated content and mainstream platforms. Critics describe it as a privacy and free speech disaster, noting it would require IP-based verification that undermines VPN use.

The committee also debated the Youth AI Privacy Act, the CHATBOT Act, the Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act, and the Kids Online Safety Act. KOSA, which would impose a legal duty of care on social media platforms, has failed multiple times since 2022 and faces criticism from free speech groups over censorship concerns. The SCREEN Act follows Lee’s repeated attempts to criminalize content he considers immoral, including last year’s Interstate Obscenity Definition Act, which would make all pornography illegal at the federal level.

The SCREEN Act is a Christian Nationalist Nightmare →