Strong encryption is a cornerstone of digital security—and it’s under attack by government policies worldwide. Weakening encryption immediately compromises citizens’ privacy, undermines marginalized communities’ ability to communicate safely, erodes cross-border trust, increases compliance uncertainty for businesses. Led by ethical operators in the Internet infrastructure industry, the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) promotes online safety and privacy by improving transparency, standards, and public understanding across the VPN industry—while protecting the rights of everyday Internet users.
Around the world, policymakers are advancing measures that would erode encryption in the name of safety. This commonly-argued justification is a false proposition: public safety depends on secure technology; there is no safety if the very tools that provide it are weakened.
Goals such as national security, child safety, and law enforcement are important, of course, and VTI members fully support pursuing effective solutions to achieve them—but not at the cost of weakening everyone’s security, especially when the effectiveness of such measures is uncertain.
VTI urges policymakers to avoid measures that erode encryption and put user safety at risk—because this only empowers and emboldens those who seek to cause harm.
We invite you to read our position paper, titled “Encryption at Risk: Why Weakening Digital Security Endangers Us All” in its entirety below.
About i2Coalition’s VPN Trust Initiative
i2Coalition’s VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) is an industry-led consortium that promotes consumer safety and privacy online by increasing understanding of VPNs and strengthening business practices in an industry that already protects millions of Internet users. The VTI leverages first-hand knowledge to advocate, create, vet, and validate guidelines that strengthen trust and transparency and mitigate risk for users.
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