Tech coalition presses Canada to amend Bill C-22 · Digg

Tech coalition presses Canada to amend Bill C-22

Twenty-three companies and groups warn the proposed lawful-access law could expand metadata retention, weaken encryption and enable secret technical orders.

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Windscribe branding used with reporting on the VPN industry's Bill C-22 letter.

TLDR

A coalition of 23 technology companies and organizations is asking Canada to amend Bill C-22 before the proposed lawful-access law is enacted. The signatories, including companies behind Windscribe, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Tailscale and Tuta, warn that the draft could require six months of metadata retention, permit orders that weaken encryption or add interception tools, and leave the category of “core provider” too vague. Canada has indicated that encryption and metadata provisions will be amended, but the coalition argues that serious uncertainty remains.

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A group of 23 technology companies and organizations is urging Canada to amend Bill C-22 before the proposed lawful-access legislation becomes law. The September 24 coalition letter includes Kape Technologies, Nord Security, Tailscale, Tuta, Windscribe and other security, infrastructure and industry groups.

The signatories say they support the government's goal of fighting cybercrime but argue that the current draft creates three risks: new retention of personal metadata, orders that could weaken encryption or require interception capabilities, and an unresolved definition of which companies count as “core providers.”

The objections focus on data the companies do not keep today

The letter says Bill C-22 could require businesses to retain sensitive metadata for up to six months, including information their services do not currently need. The coalition argues that collecting that material would force privacy-focused providers to build new storage, access-control and audit systems while creating a valuable target for attackers.

It also warns that recent amendments may not prevent orders requiring a provider to weaken encryption or build an interception mechanism. The letter's authors argue that any such capability would expand the system's attack surface for criminals and foreign adversaries. That is the coalition's assessment of the proposal, not a finding that a particular Canadian service has already weakened its security.

The third concern is scope. The signatories say “core provider” remains undefined and that even companies outside that category could receive secret ministerial orders to change code or security architecture. They argue that customers and investors might not know which services had been affected.

TechRadar reports that Canada has promised changes to the bill's encryption and metadata rules. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree has nevertheless maintained that the core legislation is needed. The dispute now turns on whether amendments can narrow those powers enough to satisfy providers whose products depend on collecting little data and keeping communications encrypted.

Tech coalition presses Canada to amend Bill C-22

Twenty-three companies and groups warn the proposed lawful-access law could expand metadata retention, weaken encryption and enable secret technical orders.

1 Source, 1h ago, first seen 1h ago

TLDR

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The objections focus on data the companies do not keep today

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@techradarCanada's Bill C-22: VPN and tech firms urge the government to 'fix' the bill before it becomes law https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/canadas-bill-c-22-vpn-and-tech-firms-urge-the-government-to-fix-the-bill-before-it-becomes-law

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