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   (I wonder why the FTC is not also calling out US states, like Mississippi,   
   who are also enacting "online safety" laws? -- Mike)   
      
   FTC calls on big tech to resist UK and EU demands to weaken encryption and   
   censor content   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 27 Aug 2025 11:38:11 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson specifically mentions the EU Digital Service Act,    
   UK Online Safety Act, and UK Investigatory Powers Act as attempts to "censor   
   content or degrade security for users."   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is calling on US tech giants to resist   
   foreign demands to either weaken the security of their users by breaking   
   encryption protections or impose censorship on their platforms.    
      
   On Thursday, August 21, 2025, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson wrote a letter to 13   
   tech companies, including Apple, Alphabet (parent firm behind Google), Meta,   
   Microsoft, and Amazon.    
      
   Ferguson specifically mentions the EU Digital Service Act, UK Online Safety   
   Act , and UK Investigatory Powers Act as attempts to "censor content or   
   degrade security for users." These actions, he warns, could also violate   
   Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act that prohibits unfair or   
   deceptive acts, while eroding Americans' freedoms and online security.    
      
   "Foreign governments seeking to limit free expression or weaken data security   
   in the United States might count on the fact that companies have an incentive   
   to simplify their operations and legal compliance measures by applying    
   uniform policies across jurisdictions," wrote Ferguson.    
      
   This pledge comes only days after the US officials managed to score a win and   
   made the UK agree to drop its encryption backdoor request against Apple,    
   which was issued back in February via a Technical Capability Notice (TCN)   
   under the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act.   
      
   A greater push for control   
      
   The UK and the EU have pushed for greater control over the internet in the   
   name of safety over the last few years, crafting legislation that often   
   requires US tech providers to adjust their services.    
      
   There are two main areas of contention: encryption and harmful, but legal,   
   content.    
      
    Encryption refers to the technology used by security software like the best   
   VPN apps, secure email, and encrypted messaging apps to keep online   
   communications private between you and the receiver.    
      
   While that's a crucial protection  especially as major cyberattacks like Salt   
   Typhoon become the norm  authorities see this as an obstacle to criminal   
   investigation and are pushing for the creation of backdoors into encrypted   
   software.    
      
   The likes of Signal and WhatsApp have already voiced their concerns against   
   laws and proposals such as the UK Online Safety Act and EU Chat Control .    
      
   US tech firms and officials alike have also been raising concerns about new    
   UK and EU requirements to mitigate online dangers by halting the spread of   
   misinformation and content that could harm minors.    
      
   These frictions led the Trump administration to consider imposing sanctions    
   on the EU for censoring Americans and imposing higher costs on US tech firms   
   under its Digital Service Act  Reuters reported on Monday, August 26.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/computing/cyber-security/ftc-calls-on-big-tech-to-re   
   sist-uk-and-eu-demands-to-weaken-encryption-and-censor-content   
      
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