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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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