Secure the Internet

SECURITY FOR ALL

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE LEADERS OF THE WORLD’S GOVERNMENTS SIGNED BY ORGANIZATIONS, COMPANIES, AND INDIVIDUALS:

We encourage you to support the safety and security of users, companies, and governments by strengthening the integrity of communications and systems. In doing so, governments should reject laws, policies, or other mandates or practices, including secret agreements with companies, that limit access to or undermine encryption and other secure communications tools and technologies.

To the leaders of the world’s governments –

We urge you to protect the security of your citizens, your economy, and your government by supporting the development and use of secure communications tools and technologies, rejecting policies that would prevent or undermine the use of strong encryption, and urging other leaders to do the same.

Encryption tools, technologies, and services are essential to protect against harm and to shield our digital infrastructure and personal communications from unauthorized access. The ability to freely develop and use encryption provides the cornerstone for today’s global economy. Economic growth in the digital age is powered by the ability to trust and authenticate our interactions and communicate and conduct business securely, both within and across borders.

Some of the most noted technologists and experts on encryption recently explained (PDF) that laws or policies that undermine encryption would “force a U-turn from the best practices now being deployed to make the Internet more secure,” “would substantially increase system complexity” and raise associated costs, and “would create concentrated targets that could attract bad actors.” The absence of encryption facilitates easy access to sensitive personal data, including financial and identity information, by criminals and other malicious actors. Once obtained, sensitive data can be sold, publicly posted, or used to blackmail or embarrass an individual. Additionally, insufficiently encrypted devices or hardware are prime targets for criminals.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur for freedom of expression has noted, “encryption and anonymity, and the security concepts behind them, provide the privacy and security necessary for the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in the digital age.” As we move toward connecting the next billion users, restrictions on encryption in any country will likely have global impact. Encryption and other anonymizing tools and technologies enable lawyers, journalists, whistleblowers, and organizers to communicate freely across borders and to work to better their communities. It also assures users of the integrity of their data and authenticates individuals to companies, governments, and one another.

We encourage you to support the safety and security of users by strengthening the integrity of communications and systems. All governments should reject laws, policies, or other mandates or practices, including secret agreements with companies, that limit access to or undermine encryption and other secure communications tools and technologies. Users should have the option to use – and companies the option to provide – the strongest encryption available, including end-to-end encryption, without fear that governments will compel access to the content, metadata, or encryption keys without due process and respect for human rights. Accordingly:

  • Governments should not ban or otherwise limit user access to encryption in any form or otherwise prohibit the implementation or use of encryption by grade or type;

  • Governments should not mandate the design or implementation of “backdoors” or vulnerabilities into tools, technologies, or services;

  • Governments should not require that tools, technologies, or services are designed or developed to allow for third-party access to unencrypted data or encryption keys;

  • Governments should not seek to weaken or undermine encryption standards or intentionally influence the establishment of encryption standards except to promote a higher level of information security. No government should mandate insecure encryption algorithms, standards, tools, or technologies; and

  • Governments should not, either by private or public agreement, compel or pressure an entity to engage in activity that is inconsistent with the above tenets.

Strong encryption and the secure tools and systems that rely on it are critical to improving cybersecurity, fostering the digital economy, and protecting users. Our continued ability to leverage the internet for global growth and prosperity and as a tool for organizers and activists requires the ability and the right to communicate privately and securely through trustworthy networks.

We look forward to working together toward a more secure future.


SIGN UP

You can sign the letter as an individual, company, or organization.

  • 18MillionRising.org
  • Access Now
  • ACI-Participa
  • Advocacy for Principled Action in Government
  • Alternative Informatics Association
  • Alternatives
  • Alternatives Canada
  • Alternatives International
  • American Civil Liberties Union
  • American Library Association
  • Amnesty International
  • Amnesty International UK
  • ARTICLE 19
  • La Asociación Colombiana de Usuarios de Internet
  • Asociación por los Derechos Civiles
  • Asociatia pentru Tehnologie si Internet (ApTI)
  • Associated Whistleblowing Press
  • Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
  • Association for Proper Internet Governance
  • Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
  • Australian Privacy Foundation
  • Benetech
  • Berlin Forum on Global Politics (BFoGP)
  • Big Brother Watch
  • Bill of Rights Defense Committee
  • Bits of Freedom
  • Blueprint for Free Speech
  • Bolo Bhi
  • Brazilian Chapter of Internet Society (ISOC-BR)
  • Canadian Access and Privacy Association
  • Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
  • Center for Democracy and Technology
  • Center for Digital Democracy
  • Center for Financial Privacy and Human Rights
  • the Center for Internet and Society (CIS)
  • Center for Media Data and Society at the School of Public Policy of Central European University
  • Center for Technology and Society at FGV Rio Law School
  • the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University Delhi
  • Centre for Free Expression, Ryerson University
  • Chaos Computer Club
  • Città di San Benedetto del Tronto
  • CivSource
  • Coalizione Italiana per le Libertà e i Diritti Civili
  • Committee to Protect Journalists
  • Constitutional Alliance
  • Constitutional Communications
  • Consumer Action
  • Consumer Federation of America
  • Consumer Watchdog
  • ContingenteMX
  • The Courage Foundation
  • Críptica
  • CryptoAUSTRALIA
  • Crypto.Québec
  • DAGONIA – INCUBADORA CRIATIVA DO ALTO MINHO
  • Datapanik.org
  • Defending Dissent Foundation
  • Digitalcourage
  • Digitale Gesellschaft
  • Digital Empowerment Foundation
  • Digital Rights Foundation
  • DSS216
  • Electronic Frontier Finland
  • Electronic Frontier Foundation
  • Electronic Frontiers Australia
  • Electronic Frontier Norway (EFN)
  • Electronic Privacy Information Center
  • Engine
  • Enjambre Digital
  • eQuallit.ie
  • The Equality Council
  • European Digital Rights
  • Fight for the Future
  • Fíltrala
  • Föreningen för digitala fri- och rättigheter (DFRI)
  • Forum Tunisien des Droits Economiques et Sociaux (FTDES)
  • Foundation for Internet and Civic Culture (Thai Netizen Network)
  • Freedom House
  • Freedom of the Press Foundation
  • Freedom to Read Foundation
  • Free Press
  • Free Press Unlimited
  • Free Software Foundation
  • Free Software Foundation Europe
  • Fundacion Acceso
  • Future of Privacy Forum
  • Future Wise
  • The Global Network Initiative (GNI)
  • Global Partners Digital
  • Global Voices Advox
  • Globe International Center
  • Government Accountability Project
  • Hack for Privacy
  • Hermes Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights
  • Hiperderecho
  • Hivos
  • Human Rights Foundation
  • Human Rights Watch
  • Hungarian Civil Liberties Union
  • Institute for Technology and Society of Rio (ITS Rio)
  • Instituto Beta
  • Instituto Demos
  • Instituto Nupef
  • International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
  • the International Modern Media Institute (IMMI)
  • International Peace Bureau
  • International Press Institute
  • Internet Democracy Project
  • IIS (The Internet Infrastructure Foundation)
  • Internet Policy Observatory Pakistan
  • Internet Sans Frontières
  • Internet Society (ISOC)
  • Internet Society Almaty Kazakhstan Chapter
  • Internet Society-CAT Capítol Català de la Internet Society
  • Internet Society Costa Rica Chapter
  • Internet Society Finland
  • Internet Society Hong Kong
  • Internet Society India Chennai
  • Internet Society India Trivandrum Chapter (ISOC-TRV)
  • Internet Society – Italy Chapter
  • Internet Society Japan Chapter
  • Internet Society Malaysia Chapter
  • Internet Society Netherlands Chapter
  • Internet Society Portugal
  • Internet Society Switzerland Chapter
  • Internet Society UK England
  • Internet Society Uruguay Chapter
  • The InterPlanetary Networking Chapter of the Internet Society
  • IPDANDETEC
  • IT for Change
  • IT-Political Association of Denmark
  • Jonction
  • Jordan Open Source Association
  • Just Net Coalition (JNC)
  • Karisma Foundation
  • Keyboard Frontline
  • Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet
  • Kristshell Networks
  • Latin American Center for Internet Research
  • Liberty
  • Linux Australia
  • Localization Lab
  • Mageia.Org
  • Media Alliance
  • Modern Poland Foundation
  • Movimento Mega
  • Myanmar ICT for Development Organization (MIDO)
  • Net Users’ Rights Protection Association (NURPA)
  • New America’s Open Technology Institute
  • The New Objective Collective
  • Niskanen Center
  • The Norwegian Chapter of the Internet Society
  • Norwegian UNIX User Group (NUUG)
  • One World Platform Foundation
  • OpenMedia
  • Open Net Korea
  • Open Rights Group
  • Panoptykon Foundation
  • Paradigm Initiative Nigeria
  • Patient Privacy Rights
  • PEN American Center
  • PEN International
  • Pirate Parties International
  • Point of View
  • Privacy and Access Council of Canada
  • Privacy and Big Data Institute
  • Privacy International
  • Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
  • Privacy Times
  • Protection International
  • La Quadrature du Net
  • R3D (Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales)
  • R Street Institute
  • Reinst8
  • REPORTERS SANS FRONTIÈRES
  • Restore the Fourth
  • Rocky Mountain Civil Liberties Association
  • RootsAction.org
  • RosKomSvoboda
  • Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC)
  • Security First
  • SFLC.in
  • Share Foundation
  • Simply Secure
  • Social Action Centre NGO
  • Social Media Exchange (SMEX)
  • SonTusDatos (Artículo 12 A.C.)
  • Student Net Alliance
  • Sursiendo Comunicación y Cultura Digital
  • Swiss Open Systems User Group /ch/open
  • TechFreedom
  • The Tor Project
  • Tully Center for Free Speech at Syracuse University
  • Usuarios Digitales
  • Viet Tan
  • Vrijschrift
  • WITNESS
  • World Privacy Forum
  • World Wide Web Foundation
  • X-Lab
  • Xnet
  • Zavod Državljan D
  • Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum
  • Afekt Media
  • Array
  • BlaBlanet Social Network
  • CloudFlare
  • Computer & Communications Industry Association
  • DuckDuckGo
  • Eticas Research and Consulting
  • HackDefendr Security Research LLC
  • HackerOne
  • HasGeek
  • Hobbyist Software ltd
  • INFOSECSW inc.
  • Internet Association
  • Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2coalition)
  • IPVanish
  • Ixquick.com
  • Kanawha IT Security
  • MediaNama
  • Neurocrypto LLC
  • Open-Xchange
  • PrivaSecTech
  • Private Internet Access
  • QRTalk
  • Raketu
  • Silent Circle
  • Sinodun Internet Technologies Ltd.
  • Sonic
  • StartMail.com
  • StartPage.com
  • TurnKey GNU/Linux
  • Xalto.net
  • Zygii Tecnologia
  • Samuel A. Akinsola
  • Nadira AlAraj
  • Collin Anderson
  • Satish Babu
  • Matt Blaze
  • Paul Bernal
  • Owen Blacker
  • Eva Bognar
  • Sara Sinclair Brody
  • Eric Burger
  • Jon Callas
  • L. Jean Camp
  • Joao Carlos Caribe
  • Engr Michael C Chukwu
  • Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond
  • Ronald Deibert
  • Lina Dencik
  • Shearvon Devenish
  • Thomas Drake
  • Dr. Suelette Dreyfus
  • Nica Dumlao
  • David Evans
  • Jim Fruchterman
  • Arzu Geybullayeva
  • Mike Godwin
  • Matthew Green
  • Joseph Lorenzo Hall
  • Sarah Harrison
  • Sven Herpig
  • Robert Hinden
  • Arne Hintz
  • Deborah Hurley
  • Josef Irnberger
  • Birgitta Jonsdottir
  • David Kaye
  • Ephraim Percy Kenyanito
  • Eric King
  • John Kiriakou
  • Mwendwa Kivuva
  • Olaf Kolkman
  • Douwe Korff
  • Ryan Lackey
  • Susan Landau
  • Frank La Rue
  • Timothy Libert
  • Rebecca MacKinnon
  • Maxigas
  • Bailey McCann
  • Ben McGinnes
  • Liz McIntyre
  • Andrew McLaughlin
  • Sascha Meinrath
  • Eric Mill
  • Arikia Millikan
  • Katie Moussouris
  • Jacobo Nájera
  • Antonella Napolitano
  • Nikhil Pahwa
  • Christopher Parsons
  • Chip Pitts
  • J.M. Porup
  • Jesselyn Radack
  • AHM Bazlur Rahman
  • Md Rezaur Rahman
  • Jesús Robles Maloof
  • Phillip Rogaway
  • Marc Rotenberg
  • Eleanor Saitta
  • Bruce Schneier
  • Gbenga Sesan
  • Micah Sherr
  • Adam Shostack
  • Kawsu Sillah
  • Barbara Simons
  • Norman Solomon
  • Tim Sparapani
  • Ritu Srivastava
  • Dr Richard Stallman
  • Amie Stepanovich
  • Maria Swietlik
  • Nabiha Syed
  • Trevor Timm
  • G Craig Vachon
  • Kenn White
  • Meredith Whittaker
  • John Wunderlich
  • Dan York

Privacy
Disclaimer

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