Overview
- Signal said it would leave Canada rather than weaken end-to-end encryption if Bill C-22 forces changes to its service.
- Bill C-22 would require providers to modify systems to enable investigative access for police and CSIS and could make some keep user metadata for up to a year, including which numbers contacted each other and location details.
- The Public Safety Minister’s office said the proposal does not require companies to install surveillance capabilities, rejecting claims of a backdoor mandate.
- Apple, Meta, and digital-rights groups argued the plan could break or weaken encryption and create flaws that hackers or foreign adversaries could exploit.
- Experts noted that key scope questions will be set later by regulation, and they warned that permanent system retrofits differ from case-by-case court orders and could raise risks for journalists and other users who rely on secure apps.