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Over 60 organizations call on governments worldwide to protect encryption

Date:
Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:13:08 +0000

Description:
The VPN Trust Initiative joins 60+ groups warning governments that weakening
encryption threatens global security and the digital economy.

FULL STORY

A total of 61 organizations from across the tech industry and the privacy
world have signed a new global statement urging governments to protect strong
encryption. 

Shared by ACT (The App Association), the statement notes that weakening
encrypted services threatens both security and the digital economy. 

The letter arrives amid mounting political pressure against encrypted
communications worldwide, especially in the EU, where the debate around the
Chat Control bill keeps intensifying. 

Various proposals for encryption backdoors introduce an extra element of
vulnerability, experts warn, and there's no way to make sure that these
vulnerabilities won't be exploited later. 

Among the signatories is the VPN Trust Initiative, which is a consortium
representing many of the best VPN providers. VPNs have also been targeted by
some governments as part of these recent efforts. "Strong encryption is
essential" 

The global statement highlights how important encryption is throughout so 
many aspects of our digital lives. 

The letter notes that encryption "safeguards user privacy, protects sensitive
data, and enables trust." All of those are referred to as "foundations of
commerce, communication, and innovation." 

Without encryption, users are much less likely to use various apps with full
confidence. Knowing that your data or your private conversations might be
subject to surveillance or data leaks means that many of the more
privacy-conscious users might be left with no secure options for
communication. 

The letter notes that undermining encryption through things like backdoors or
key escrow systems weakens the trust users have in various digital services.
It also affects the digital economy and small businesses. 

More than that, it introduces systemic vulnerabilities  that's unavoidable.
You can't create a flaw in the system and only let law enforcement use it;
cybercriminals are highly likely to find their way in, too. 

The coalition recognizes that governments and national security agencies need
to be able to access evidence and fight crime, but it notes that it should be
done through ways that "do not compromise the safety and privacy of billions
of consumer and enterprise users." 

Signatories include some of the biggest organizations across tech and data
privacy, including the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI). This organization, led by
founding members like ExpressVPN , NordVPN , and VyprVPN , sets industry
standards for VPN providers.

Encrypted data is in constant danger 

The call to protect encryption lands against a backdrop of attempts by
governments to gain access to encrypted data. This is especially prevalent in
the EU, where several recent proposals have raised alarm among privacy 
experts . 

The EU Commission presented a new roadmap in June this year, seeking to
establish a way for law enforcement to access citizens' private data by 2030.

Previously, end-to-end encryption was highlighted as "the biggest technical
challenge," and tools like VPN services and encrypted chat apps were both 
seen as a threat to effective investigative work. 

European lawmakers are also pushing the Chat Control proposal , which could
introduce client-side scanning. This would involve scanning private chats on
the device before it ever gets encrypted. The latest Chat Control proposal 
has now received broad support from EU lawmakers and has reportedly moved to
the next legislative step. 

Not every law enforcement representative agrees with this take. James A.
Baker, Former General Counsel of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, 
said, " Encryption is vital to law enforcement to protect society ." He also
referred to client-side scanning as a "fundamentally bad idea."

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/over-60-organizations-call-
on-governments-worldwide-to-protect-encryption

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