President Trump is reportedly finalizing an executive order that would force major tech firms to embed law-enforcement backdoors into consumer-grade encryption tools. The draft would require companies to provide decryption keys to authorized agencies on demand, eroding the safeguards that protect private messages and stored data. 

It also calls for unprecedented cross-agency data sharing, mandating “unfettered access” to unclassified records held by state and local programs. 

Privacy experts warn this could weaken online security and prompt a renewed surge in VPN use, much like the spike seen after the recent TikTok ban. read more...

Cyber activists, experts and companies from 42 countries issued an open letter against government plans to weaken encryption and force the use of backdoors. 195 experts, firms and civil-society groups signed the letter claiming that people should have the option to use the strongest encryption available without fear that governments will compel access to their communications without due process and respect for human rights.