🚨 Privacy experts are raising a red flag over Ireland’s plans to create an encryption backdoor! 🚨
In a united front, over 30 signatories from civil society organizations, companies, and cybersecurity experts, including members of the Global Encryption Coalition, are urging Ireland to reconsider its plans. They’re calling on the government to withdraw support for the EU’s plan to scan all citizens’ private chats.
The proposed backdoor aims to help law enforcement intercept criminal data, but experts warn that it could threaten the privacy and security of people worldwide, especially since Ireland hosts the EU headquarters of major tech companies like Apple and Meta.
Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, has made it clear that the government intends to address the challenges posed by encrypted messaging apps to lawful data interception. However, experts argue that weakening encryption would put both individuals and businesses at greater risk of cybercrime and foreign cyberattacks, undermining national security.
Encryption, used by messaging apps, secure emails, and VPNs, scrambles messages into an unreadable form, preventing unauthorized access. A backdoor for law enforcement would create an entry point that anyone, including criminals and hostile state actors, could exploit.
Signal, an encrypted messaging provider, has even stated that they would rather leave the market than comply with similar proposals.
Ireland, which also backs the controversial Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR) bill, is expected to begin work on the proposed Communications, Interception and Lawful Access Bill in the coming months. The government is also a fervent supporter of mandatory chat scanning in the EU.
But the debate is far from over. The Danish Presidency’s decision on the Chat Control proposal is still pending, and the baton could pass to Ireland next July. Stay tuned to see if Ireland will pick up where the Danes left off!
💬 “Weakening encryption would put both individuals and businesses at greater risk of scams, fraud, identity theft, and other cybercrime. It would also make sensitive data more vulnerable to foreign cyberattacks and undermine national security.” – Privacy experts
📣 Read the open letter to Ireland here: [Link](https://t.co/NGudPUADpB)
#NoToBackdoors 💪 #EncryptionMatters #PrivacyFirst #Cybersecurity
