Cryptographers warn Canada's lawful-access bill weakens encryption security
Four leading experts submitted a briefing to the Senate warning Bill C-22 creates vulnerabilities that could push Canadians to foreign tech.
What to know
- Four leading cryptographers warn Bill C-22 is incompatible with modern security practices and would weaken encryption protections.
- The experts argue that mandating encryption vulnerabilities would create attack vectors exploitable by foreign governments and malicious actors globally, not just Canadian law enforcement.
- The bill would require electronic service providers to build surveillance and monitoring capabilities accessible to police and CSIS, with secret ministerial orders enabling their use.
- The Senate is set to examine the bill this week, with ministers defending it against concerns from tech companies, civil liberties advocates, and security experts.
The dispute Whether the current government's approach, despite its flaws, is preferable to what opposition governance would have produced. · positions read across 5 posts and comments
Bill C-22 represents unacceptable government overreach into privacy regardless of lawful intent.
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“I'll do everything I can to thwart these efforts. I don't really have anything to hide, but I can't abide by this long, misguided overreach.”
SkinnedIt · Reddit ↗
The current government handling is better than the previous opposition would have managed.
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“I don't like this bill. He's doing a better job than pp every would have though, pp is not a smart person.”
misanthrope2327 · Reddit ↗
Ian Goldberg Cryptography expert, University of WaterlooPeter Swire Cybersecurity and privacy expert, Georgia Tech
Gary Anandasangaree Public Safety MinisterSean Fraser Justice Minister
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments
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Cryptographers warn bill lacks safeguards present in other Five Eyes countries
The briefing paper notes that lawful-access regimes in the U.S. and other Five Eyes countries include multiple safeguards that are absent from Bill C-22, and warns that mandating encryption flaws could open attack vectors for malicious actors globally.
“If Canada requires service providers to create 'operational and technical capabilities' to break secure systems, then the same attack vectors are left open to others, globally.”
— Cryptographers' briefing paper -
the definition of electronic service provider in this bill: electronic service means a service, or a feature of a service, that involves the creation, recording, storage, processing, transmission, reception, emission or making available of information in electronic, digital or any other intangible form by an electronic, digital, magnetic, optical…
2 more of the top 3 · 4 posts in this stretch
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I'll do everything I can to thwart these efforts. I don't really have anything to hide, but I can't abide by this long, misguided overreach.
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I don't like this bill. He's doing a better job than pp every would have though, pp is not a smart person. Support had little to do with it
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background
Senate committee due to examine Bill C-22 this week — The Senate national security committee is set to examine Bill C-22, with Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Justice Minister Sean Fraser scheduled to answer questions on Monday.
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Cryptographers submit security briefing to Senate on Bill C-22
Four authorities on cryptography and privacy from Canadian and U.S. universities submitted a briefing paper to a Senate committee examining Bill C-22, warning the bill poses security risks and could reduce the security of numerous systems.
“Adding ways for even lawful parties to circumvent this protection leaves, as we have seen time and time again, footholds for unintended third parties, including foreign governments, to gain unfettered access.”
— Ian Goldberg -
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"In lawful-access regimes in the U.S. and other countries in the Five Eyes – the intelligence alliance that includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the U.S. – 'there are multiple safeguards' that are not in Bill C-22, the briefing paper says." Lawful-access bill poses security risks, could prompt Canadians to switch to…
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What people are saying 1 voices from 1 site · best of 5 · verbatim
- Nov 2
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you are deflecting. if you actually care, start pushing back against your government