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FTC warns US tech firms against weakening encryption for foreign governments

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📰 2 unique sources, 2 articles

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned major U.S. tech companies not to comply with foreign government demands that weaken encryption, compromise data security, or impose censorship. The warning comes amidst increasing pressure from foreign governments to access encrypted data and censor content. The FTC emphasizes that complying with such demands would violate the FTC Act and expose companies to legal consequences. The FTC's letter, signed by Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson, was sent to companies including Akamai, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Cloudflare, Discord, GoDaddy, Meta, Microsoft, Signal, Snap, Slack, and X (Twitter). The letter highlights the potential risks to American users, including increased surveillance, identity theft, and fraud. The warning follows a recent incident where Apple was pressured to remove support for iCloud end-to-end encryption in the UK, a demand that was later retracted due to U.S. diplomatic pressure. The FTC's letter mentions the EU’s Digital Services Act and the UK’s Online Safety Act and Investigatory Powers Act as examples of foreign laws pressuring tech companies. The FTC expressed concern that companies might simplify compliance with foreign laws by censoring Americans or increasing foreign surveillance.

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  1. 23.08.2025 18:21 📰 2 articles

    FTC warns US tech giants against foreign pressure on encryption

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a warning to major U.S. tech companies, cautioning them against complying with foreign government demands that weaken encryption or impose censorship. The warning comes amidst increasing pressure from foreign governments to access encrypted data and censor content. The FTC emphasizes that complying with such demands would violate the FTC Act and expose companies to legal consequences. The FTC's letter, signed by Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson, was sent to companies including Akamai, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Cloudflare, Discord, GoDaddy, Meta, Microsoft, Signal, Snap, Slack, and X (Twitter). The letter highlights the potential risks to American users, including increased surveillance, identity theft, and fraud. The warning follows a recent incident where Apple was pressured to remove support for iCloud end-to-end encryption in the UK, a demand that was later retracted due to U.S. diplomatic pressure. The FTC's letter mentions the EU’s Digital Services Act and the UK’s Online Safety Act and Investigatory Powers Act as examples of foreign laws pressuring tech companies. The FTC expressed concern that companies might simplify compliance with foreign laws by censoring Americans or increasing foreign surveillance.

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FTC Chair Warns Tech Companies Against Compromising Encryption

FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson has warned major US tech companies to resist foreign government pressure to weaken encryption. Ferguson emphasized the importance of encryption for protecting public discourse and consumer privacy. He cited examples of foreign laws and policies that have led to censorship and degraded security measures. The FTC Chair also warned that complying with such regulations could violate the FTC Act. The letter was sent to executives at Akamai, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Cloudflare, Discord, GoDaddy, Meta, Microsoft, Signal, Snap, Slack, and X. The warning comes amid increasing global pressure on tech companies to provide backdoor access to encrypted data.

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