UK Government is the latest to attack End-to-End Encryption

More than 100 companies, cybersecurity experts, civil society organizations from around the globe have submitted a letter to British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper calling on the UK Home Office to rescind its demand that Apple create a backdoor into its end-to-end encrypted services.

The UK demand is only the latest effort by democratic governments around the world to undermine encryption. Given Apple’s global footprint the UK’s demand would, if carried out, endanger the privacy and security of hundreds of millions of individuals around the world — including children, politicians, journalists, and military personnel.

As privacy professionals, encryption advocates, and cybersecurity researchers have demonstrated for decades, creating any backdoor access to encrypted systems will also make those systems vulnerable to cybercriminals, foreign espionage, and other bad actors.

The UK’s short-sighted effort will make Britons and people around the world less safe and more vulnerable to their most sensitive data and intimate conversations being stolen, snooped on, and manipulated.

Unless the UK Home Office heeds the warning of experts and reconsiders its decision, individual and national security will be undermined and have profound negative impacts and incalculable unintended consequences.

The joint letter was published on Thursday, February 13, 2025 with 109 signatures. More signatures may be added as they come in, and will be noted at a future date.

Read the full letter – and list of signatories – on the GEC’s website.