Governments around the world are escalating demands for encryption backdoors, claiming they are required for national security needs. Experts warn that these policies create cybersecurity risks for billions of people.

Recently, British officials secretly ordered Apple to create a backdoor into their Advanced Data Protection (ADP) service. Apple responded to this by disabling ADP in the UK – choosing to roll back the optional protection for their UK-based customers, to safeguard the cybersecurity of millions of Apple users around the world. 

The action from the UK Government, enabled by their Investigatory Powers Act, sets a dangerous precedent. If enforced, this may normalize state-mandated vulnerabilities that hackers, hostile nations and authoritarian regimes could exploit.

The encrypted messaging app Signal is facing similar demands from some branches of Swedish Government. If enforced, Signal claims they will leave Sweden. 

The Domino Effect of Backdoor Demands

Apple’s decision to withdraw encrypted cloud storage in the UK—rather than comply—highlights the dilemma facing tech companies. 

Similar laws in Australia and the US, such as the Assistance and Access Act and FISA Section 702, already empower governments to compel decryption, potentially creating backdoor vulnerabilities.

Joseph Lorenzo Hall of the Internet Society predicts a “Commonwealth effect,” where one nation’s backdoor demand triggers copycat policies globally.

Cybersecurity experts universally condemn backdoors as systemic risks. As the NSA’s 2006 encryption sabotage showed, intentional weaknesses inevitably leak, enabling mass surveillance and cybercrime.

The FBI and CISA now urge Americans to adopt end-to-end encryption for protection—even as the US pressures companies for access. There is a clear lack of unity between government agencies and departments on this issue, not to mention other recent contentions between the FBI and Elon’s newly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Will Backdoors Ruin Encryption?

Whether or not backdoors become pervasive in encryption is at this point, unclear – but we are clearly at a critical juncture, with multiple spats between public and private entities occurring globally.

Governments may abandon backdoor mandates, and instead focus on pushing fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), which enables data processing and analysis without decrypting data. This may be the best case scenario based on current technology.

Protecting your Privacy in an Era of Surveillance and Uncertain Encryption

Until FHE sees widespread adoption (if that day ever comes), individuals and organizations should combine robust encryption measures whenever possible, while maintaining a strict data hygiene process. 

Data hygiene can be improved for all people and businesses by adopting a strategy to reduce the size of your digital footprint through careful management. Old social media posts, comments, likes and private messages regularly contain sensitive information that could be exposed in data breaches or misused by third parties. Without a well-managed digital footprint, you are exposed to targeted scams, hackers, and mass surveillance.

This is where tools like redact.dev offer a practical safeguard. Redact is a toolkit that gives you the ability to clean up, and automatically manage your digital footprint across 30+ platforms – from Twitter / X Likes and Facebook Activity, to your Slack DMs. Get Redact – free for our most popular services, and reduce attack surfaces for hackers and social engineering vulnerabilities.