SAVE ENCRYPTION

Politicians from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the U.S. are attacking the encryption that keeps our personal information safe every day.

Together, these countries known as the "Five Eyes" want to force companies to crush the encryption that protects our private data and messages. But ordinary people need and use encryption every day, in everything from online banking to personal messaging in apps like WhatsApp.

Tell ministers to stop their attacks, and commit to protecting our privacy and security.

 

To: Attorneys General and security ministers of the Five Eyes nations

Click here to see petition text

Together, we as citizens of the Five Eyes nations are urging you to protect our security by rejecting any policies or laws that would compromise or outlaw encryption.

Any action that would limit or remove our access to strong encryption would severely impact our right to online privacy and put the security of hundreds of millions of Internet users at risk.

Strong encryption is integral for our safety and security online. It protects our everyday transactions, as well as our personal communications, from hacking and abuse by malicious actors. The global digital economy depends upon the trust that strong encryption provides.

Strong encryption means unbreakable encryption. We're alarmed by suggestions from some Five Eyes leaders that technology companies be forced to build 'backdoors' into the encryption tools we rely on every day. Security experts agree that any ‘master key’ built to give access to security services would immediately become a target for hackers, and would therefore weaken the safety and security of countless innocent citizens.

As leaders of the global community, we ask you to commit to upholding the security of your citizens. In particular, we ask that you make a public commitment that you will not:

  • Seek to weaken encryption standards
  • Seek to ban encryption
  • Require or pressure tech companies to build ‘backdoors’ to encryption
  • Require or pressure service providers to design communication tools in ways that facilitate government interception

Thank you,

[Your Name Will Appear Here]

This campaign is hosted by OpenMedia. We will protect your privacy, and keep you informed about this campaign and others. Find OpenMedia's privacy policy here.

If Five Eyes countries move to ban encryption completely, it would mean an end to online commerce and communication as we know it: everything from online shopping to banking to sending private messages would no longer function securely.

And if they seek to force companies to build ‘back doors’, any ‘master key’ built to give access to security services would immediately become a target for hackers. In fact, security experts say that secure ‘back doors’ are technologically impossible.1

Public pressure can make the difference. After significant pushback from advocates and concerned individuals, Apple has recently temporarily paused its own plan to break encryption by creating a permanent backdoor on its iOS devices.2, 3

Government ministers of the Five Eyes have not yet revealed exactly how they plan to crush encryption, but their intentions are clear.4 They need to hear from ordinary people from all around the world. Sign the global call now to protect our right to encryption!

Encryption in the Five Eyes countries:

Australia

Australia data encryption laws explained: BBC

Australian PM Calls for End-to-End Encryption Ban, Says the Laws of Mathematics Don't Apply Down Under: EFF

Australia passes ‘dangerous’ anti-encryption law after bipartisan compromise: TechCrunch

Canada

Five Eyes agree to engage with industry on terrorists’ use of encryption: Globe and Mail

Canada’s New and Irresponsible Encryption Policy: CitizenLab

The Liberal government’s vision for your privacy seems to be quite private, itself: The Globe and Mail

Government’s encryption proposal will undermine public safety: The Star

New Zealand

Calls for strong encryption in 'Five Eyes' countries: RNZ

Why you'll be sorry when encryption is broken: NZ Herald

United Kingdom

Apple and WhatsApp condemn GCHQ plans to eavesdrop on encrypted chats: The Guardian

UK home secretary Amber Rudd says 'real people' don't need end-to-end encryption: Business Insider

Theresa May’s crackdown on the internet will let terror in the backdoor: The Guardian

The UK is trying to stop Facebook’s end-to-end Encryption: WIRED

United States

Trump officials weigh encryption crackdown: Politico

US efforts to regulate encryption have been flawed, government report finds: The Guardian

The EARN IT Act is a sneak attack on encryption: WIRED

Bugs in our pockets: The risks of client-side scanning: Lawfare

 

Sources

  1. Make the switch! - Global Encryption Day
  2. OpenMedia - Twitter
  3. Cybersecurity experts sound alarm on Apple and E.U. phone scanning plans - The New York Times
  4. The UK is trying to stop Facebook’s end-to-end Encryption - WIRED
  5. Government’s encryption proposal will undermine public safety - The Star
  6. Australia passes ‘dangerous’ anti-encryption law after bipartisan compromise - TechCrunch
  7. The EARN IT Act is a sneak attack on encryption - WIRED

Press: Laura Tribe | Phone: +1 (888) 441-2640 ext. 0 | Office: +1 (844) 891-5136 | [email protected]