The Washington Post

Apple challenges UK iCloud backdoor demand

Apple has filed a legal challenge with the U.K.'s Investigatory Powers Tribunal after a secret "technical capability notice" from the U.K. government sought access to encrypted iCloud data, including backups protected by Advanced Data Protection (ADP). The dispute follows an early-2025 Home Office order seeking a technical mechanism to view fully encrypted cloud material and a broader prior order that included U.S. users, which was later dropped after interventions by U.S. leaders. Apple confirmed the filing to CNBC and previously disabled ADP for new U.K. users, saying current users will eventually need to disable it. The U.K. Home Office defends the Investigatory Powers Act as providing safeguards, while critics and legal experts say such demands amount to a backdoor and could still raise U.S. national-security concerns even if limited to British users.

US withdraws subpoenas for New York Times journalists

The U.S. Department of Justice announced it will withdraw subpoenas issued to several New York Times journalists who were asked to testify before a Manhattan grand jury after reporting on alleged security problems with President Donald Trump's new presidential airplane. The move follows a New York court hearing in which a judge said he would quash the subpoenas if the DOJ did not withdraw them. The New York Times' lawyer, David McCraw, called the withdrawal an important confirmation of the country's commitment to press freedom and said the subpoenas appeared intended to punish the paper. The article notes similar earlier attempts this year to compel reporters from the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, which were also later rescinded.

Oligarchs' Takeover of U.S. Media

Paul Krugman warns that a small group of extremely wealthy individuals are consolidating influence over U.S. politics and the information environment by funding campaigns, buying media outlets, and shaping public discourse. He cites a New York Times analysis that roughly 20% of 2024 campaign contributions came from 300 billionaires and their families, and points to recent media acquisitions and takeover attempts — including the Ellison family's purchases (CBS/Paramount) and the attempted Paramount purchase of Warner (and CNN) — plus platform control by figures like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Krugman argues this concentration of wealth and media ownership threatens democratic institutions and that durable solutions require reducing extreme wealth concentration and limiting the political power it buys.