Apple, Meta oppose Canadian bill that could force them to weaken encryption

Apple and Meta are reportedly opposing a Canadian bill claiming that it will require tech companies to break the end-to-end encryption of their devices and services if passed. According to a report by Reuters, Canada's ruling Liberal Party has proposed a Bill C-22 that is currently being debated in the House of Commons. For those unaware, end-to-end encryption ensures that the communication is secure and no party can access the data without a key. The technology is widely used in services such as Meta Platforms' WhatsApp and Apple's iMessage.The bill, as per the report, contains provisions that are said to be similar to a UK data access provision order sent to the iPhone maker last year, depending on how they are implemented. The 2025 order asked Apple to remove a feature allowing users to store data in its cloud with end-to-end encryption."At a time of rising and pervasive threats ‌from malicious ⁠actors seeking access to user information, Bill C-22, as drafted, would undermine our ability to offer the powerful privacy and security features users expect from Apple," Apple said in a statement as cited by Reuters. "This legislation could allow the Canadian government to force companies to break encryption by inserting backdoors into their products – something Apple will never do."In prepared testimony, Meta's head of public policy for Canada, Rachel Curran, and Privacy and Public Policy ⁠Director Robyn Greene said the bill's "sweeping powers, minimal oversight, and lack of clear safeguards" could make Canadians less safe, rather than more."As drafted, the bill could require companies like Meta to build or maintain capabilities that break, weaken, or circumvent encryption or other zero-knowledge security architectures, and ⁠force providers to install government spyware directly on their systems," the two wrote.Canadian law enforcement officials, on the other hand, claim that the bill will help them investigate security threats earlier and act more quickly.