FTC Warns Tech Companies Against Compromising Encryption for Foreign Demands
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a warning to major U.S. tech companies against yielding to foreign government demands that weaken data security, compromise encryption, or impose censorship. The FTC emphasizes that complying with such demands could violate the FTC Act and expose companies to legal consequences. The warning comes amid ongoing diplomatic tensions and legal pressures from foreign governments, including the EU and the UK, which have enacted laws that could undermine encryption and user privacy. The FTC's letter highlights the importance of maintaining strong data security measures and transparency with users. The letter also emphasizes that online platforms are critical to public discourse and that pervasive online censorship has outraged the American people. The FTC has invited the affected companies to discuss the issue further on August 28, 2025. The UK's Investigatory Powers Act was cited by the British government to request that Apple provide backdoor access to encrypted data, but the US announced that the UK had abandoned this demand.
Timeline
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23.08.2025 18:21 π° 3 articles Β· β± 24d ago
FTC Warns Tech Companies Against Compromising Encryption for Foreign Demands
The FTC has issued a warning to major U.S. tech companies against complying with foreign government demands to weaken encryption or impose censorship. The letter, signed by FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson, highlights the legal obligations of U.S. firms under the FTC Act and the importance of maintaining data security and transparency. The FTC has invited the affected companies to a meeting on August 28, 2025, to discuss the issue further. The letter emphasizes that online platforms are critical to public discourse and that pervasive online censorship has outraged the American people. The FTC warns that complying with misguided international regulatory requirements potentially violates Section 5 of the FTC Act, which involves deceiving consumers. The UK's Investigatory Powers Act was cited by the British government to request that Apple provide backdoor access to encrypted data, but the US announced that the UK had abandoned this demand.
Show sources
- FTC warns tech giants not to bow to foreign pressure on encryption β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 23.08.2025 18:21
- FTC Chair Tells Tech Giants to Hold the Line on Encryption β www.darkreading.com β 25.08.2025 22:58
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
Information Snippets
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The FTC sent a letter to major tech companies warning against complying with foreign demands to weaken encryption or impose censorship.
First reported: 23.08.2025 18:21π° 3 sources, 3 articlesShow sources
- FTC warns tech giants not to bow to foreign pressure on encryption β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 23.08.2025 18:21
- FTC Chair Tells Tech Giants to Hold the Line on Encryption β www.darkreading.com β 25.08.2025 22:58
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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The letter was signed by FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson and addressed to companies including Akamai, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Cloudflare, Discord, GoDaddy, Meta, Microsoft, Signal, Snap, Slack, and X (Twitter).
First reported: 23.08.2025 18:21π° 3 sources, 3 articlesShow sources
- FTC warns tech giants not to bow to foreign pressure on encryption β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 23.08.2025 18:21
- FTC Chair Tells Tech Giants to Hold the Line on Encryption β www.darkreading.com β 25.08.2025 22:58
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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The FTC cited specific foreign laws, such as the EU's Digital Services Act and the UK's Online Safety and Investigatory Powers Acts, as examples of regulatory pressures.
First reported: 23.08.2025 18:21π° 3 sources, 3 articlesShow sources
- FTC warns tech giants not to bow to foreign pressure on encryption β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 23.08.2025 18:21
- FTC Chair Tells Tech Giants to Hold the Line on Encryption β www.darkreading.com β 25.08.2025 22:58
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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Apple was previously forced to remove support for iCloud end-to-end encryption in the UK to avoid adding a backdoor for the government.
First reported: 23.08.2025 18:21π° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- FTC warns tech giants not to bow to foreign pressure on encryption β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 23.08.2025 18:21
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The FTC's letter emphasizes the importance of maintaining data security and transparency with users, as required by the FTC Act.
First reported: 23.08.2025 18:21π° 3 sources, 3 articlesShow sources
- FTC warns tech giants not to bow to foreign pressure on encryption β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 23.08.2025 18:21
- FTC Chair Tells Tech Giants to Hold the Line on Encryption β www.darkreading.com β 25.08.2025 22:58
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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The FTC has invited the affected companies to a meeting on August 28, 2025, to discuss the issue further.
First reported: 23.08.2025 18:21π° 3 sources, 3 articlesShow sources
- FTC warns tech giants not to bow to foreign pressure on encryption β www.bleepingcomputer.com β 23.08.2025 18:21
- FTC Chair Tells Tech Giants to Hold the Line on Encryption β www.darkreading.com β 25.08.2025 22:58
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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The FTC letter emphasizes that online platforms are critical to public discourse and that pervasive online censorship has outraged the American people.
First reported: 25.08.2025 22:58π° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- FTC Chair Tells Tech Giants to Hold the Line on Encryption β www.darkreading.com β 25.08.2025 22:58
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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The FTC letter criticizes the efforts of several countries, including the UK, that have implemented laws and policies requiring tech companies to provide backdoor access to encrypted data and communications.
First reported: 25.08.2025 22:58π° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- FTC Chair Tells Tech Giants to Hold the Line on Encryption β www.darkreading.com β 25.08.2025 22:58
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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The FTC letter warns that complying with misguided international regulatory requirements potentially violates Section 5 of the FTC Act, which involves deceiving consumers.
First reported: 25.08.2025 22:58π° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- FTC Chair Tells Tech Giants to Hold the Line on Encryption β www.darkreading.com β 25.08.2025 22:58
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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The FTC letter states that if a company promises consumers that it encrypts or otherwise keeps secure online communications but adopts weaker security due to the actions of a foreign government, such conduct may deceive consumers who expect effective security.
First reported: 25.08.2025 22:58π° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- FTC Chair Tells Tech Giants to Hold the Line on Encryption β www.darkreading.com β 25.08.2025 22:58
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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The UK's Investigatory Powers Act was cited by the British government to request that Apple provide backdoor access to encrypted data.
First reported: 26.08.2025 10:52π° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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The US announced that the UK had abandoned its demand for Apple to provide backdoor access to encrypted data.
First reported: 26.08.2025 10:52π° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52
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The FTC has brought dozens of cases against companies that failed to keep promises to protect consumer data.
First reported: 26.08.2025 10:52π° 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- FTC Calls on Tech Firms to Resist Foreign Anti-Encryption Demands β www.securityweek.com β 26.08.2025 10:52