Apple and Meta have publicly opposed a Canadian bill they say could force technology companies to weaken encryption on devices and online services if it becomes law.
Bill C-22 was proposed by Canada’s ruling Liberal Party, which secured a parliamentary majority last month and is currently debating the legislation in the House of Commons.
Canadian law enforcement officials say the bill would help authorities investigate security threats earlier and respond more quickly.
The proposal forms part of a broader push by governments to expand lawful access to encrypted data, a move technology companies argue could weaken user security.
The Canadian bill contains provisions that, depending on how they are implemented, could resemble a U.K. data access order sent to Apple last year.
That order prompted Apple to withdraw a feature that allowed users to store data in its cloud services with end-to-end encryption.
U.S. officials later said Britain had dropped the request after the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, raised concerns it could violate a cloud data treaty.
End-to-end encryption means only the user - not even Apple, Meta or law enforcement agencies - can access data without a key.
The technology is widely used in services such as Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage, and security experts say it provides strong protection against surveillance and cybercrime.
“At a time of rising and pervasive threats from malicious actors seeking access to user information, Bill C-22, as drafted, would undermine our ability to offer the powerful privacy and security features users expect from Apple,” the company said in a statement.
“This legislation could allow the Canadian government to force companies to break encryption by inserting backdoors into their products - something Apple will never do.”
In prepared testimony, Meta’s head of public policy for Canada, Rachel Curran, and privacy and public policy director Robyn Greene said the bill’s “sweeping powers, minimal oversight, and lack of clear safeguards” could make Canadians less safe rather than more secure.
In an email, Tim Warmington, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada, said the legislation would not require technology companies to make changes that introduce a “systemic vulnerability” into electronic protections such as encryption.
“They know their systems and have a vested interest in keeping them secure,” Warmington said.
The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill.
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Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 27 May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The United States has said it “cannot and will not” allow Ebola cases to enter the country as a growing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to raise concerns.
Armenia is host to the 8th meeting of the European Political Community which opened in Yerevan on Monday (4 May). Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed European Union leaders and heads of international organisations, including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
International cyber agencies on Thursday (23 April) urged organisations to strengthen defences against covert networks used by China-linked hackers to conceal malicious activity, Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said.
The U.S. and Iran have reportedly reached a preliminary 60-day ceasefire and nuclear talks deal, pending Donald Trump’s approval, Axios reports. Meanwhile, the GCC condemned Iran’s missile strike on a U.S. airbase in Kuwait, which Tehran said was retaliation for a U.S. strike near Bandar Abbas.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says ongoing conflict, funding pressures and international travel restrictions are complicating efforts to contain a fast-growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz has taken steps towards potentially declaring a state of emergency as anti-government protests intensify in the early months of his administration.
A group of Azerbaijani civil society organisations has called for increased scrutiny of Swiss building materials giant Holcim, citing court rulings and ongoing investigations linked to its subsidiary Lafarge's activities during the Syrian conflict.
Russia and Kazakhstan signed 15 agreements during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Astana on Thursday (28 May), including deals on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant and expanded oil cooperation with Russia.
China will send an astronaut to its space station on Sunday for a one-year mission, the longest duration for the country so far. The mission will help study long-duration human physiology in space as China works toward a crewed Moon landing by 2030.
Anxiety over artificial intelligence is hardening among young workers as executives promote faster adoption and companies point to automation in fresh job cuts.
Hackers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to detect software vulnerabilities, reducing the time organisations have to respond to cyber threats, Verizon said in its annual data breach report.
China has launched the world’s first experiment to study how artificial human embryos develop in space, marking a major step in understanding whether humans could one day reproduce beyond Earth.
Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada has said that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to “jump straight to the result” risks undermining the purpose of art, which he believes should be rooted in self-expression and a deeper understanding of the world.
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