A highly secretive court hearing believed to be Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) appeal against a U.K. government demand for backdoor access to its encrypted cloud systems took place Friday in London — with the public and media barred from attending.

What Happened: The BBC and other outlets reported that the hearing, listed only as "an application in private" at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, centered on a controversial "technical capability notice" (TCN) issued to Apple by the British government.

The TCN reportedly requires the company to weaken its end-to-end encryption protections, including Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, which Apple has since disabled for new users in the UK.

Neither Apple nor the UK government has confirmed the case or the existence of the order. Top government lawyer James Eadie, KC attended the hearing, reported Reuters.

A lawyer representing 10 media organizations, including Reuters and the BBC, petitioned for the case to be held in public, but no press or public access was granted. The court acknowledged the request but did not allow further arguments before the judges.

Why It's Important: The closed-door nature of the hearing has drawn criticism from civil liberties groups, who say the U.K.'s demand undermines global digital privacy.

It was "unacceptable and disproportionate," said Caroline Wilson Palow, legal director at Privacy International.

Privacy advocates warn the UK's move could violate international agreements, including the CLOUD Act, and set a dangerous precedent. U.S. officials have reportedly raised concerns, with President Donald Trump calling the request something "you hear about in China."

Price Action: Apple's shares ended Friday at $213.49, gaining 1.82% for the day. However, in after-hours trading, the stock dipped 0.094%. Year to date, AAPL has declined 12.45%, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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