The Center for Democracy & Technology, Global Partners Digital, the Internet Freedom Foundation, the Internet Society, and Mozilla, constituting the Steering Committee of the Global Encryption Coalition, issued the following statement regarding recent adoptions of end-to-end encryption by default:
Last week, Meta announced that it will be turning on end-to-end encryption by default for Messenger by the end of 2023. Over a billion users will soon benefit from the security and privacy that ubiquitous end-to-end encryption provides.
Despite misguided attempts by some governments to limit the use of end-to-end encryption, Messenger will join a fast-growing group of popular communications services moving to end-to-end encryption by default. Earlier this year, Google announced that it has implemented end-to-end encryption by default for its Google Messages service. And, in early September Apple rejected on a demand that it scan every user upload to the iCloud for CSAM, which is fundamentally inconsistent with end-to-end encryption.
We welcome these developments because they are good for end users, the public interest, and human rights. End-to-end encryption keeps people’s communications safe, and it enables freedom of expression and association. It keeps everyone’s personal communications out of the hands of criminals. For members of at-risk communities, ubiquitous end-to-end encryption is essential for ensuring their physical safety. With Messages and Messenger becoming end-to-end encrypted by default in 2023, and Apple pushing back on anti-encryption demands for the iCloud, Google, Meta and Apple are making the right choice for their users.