In France, new laws are being considered that could drastically change online security principles by requiring internet connection providers to install backdoors in encrypted messengers and limit access to internet resources through VPNs. This initiative has faced criticism from TUTA (previously Tutanota) and the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI).
One of the proposed bills involves an amendment to the French law NARCOTRAFIC, which would compel encrypted communication services to provide law enforcement agencies with decoded messages of suspects within 72 hours of a request. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 1.5 million euros for individuals and up to 2% of the annual global turnover for companies. The bill has passed the Senate and is now moving to the National Assembly.
TUTA has urged French deputies to reject the amendment, warning that weakening encryption could create vulnerabilities not only for criminals but also for ordinary users. The company argues that backdoors, even if created for law enforcement purposes, could be exploited by cybercriminals and government hackers. TUTA also believes such measures contradict EU data protection legislation (GDPR) and violate cybersecurity norms in Germany.
Another proposal in France seeks to mandate VPN services to block access to pirate sites. This initiative has been pushed by Canal+ and the French Football League (LFP), prompting strong opposition from the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) which includes major companies like Google, AWS, and Cloudflare. VTI has condemned the move, emphasizing that combating piracy should not result in censorship or infringement of user rights.
France is not alone in tightening internet controls. In the UK, the government has demanded access to encrypted backups of iCloud from Apple, leading the company to disable end-to-end encryption for British users. Meanwhile, Sweden is preparing a bill that would require messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp to create technical backdoors for encrypted messages.
Recently, the head of Europol Catherine de Bolle has expressed plans to seek expanded cooperation from large tech companies on encryption issues. De Bolle believes that rejecting such collaboration could pose a threat to European democracy.