Encryption | Privacy International

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Explainer

How the UK Government is making security harder for everyone

The Cryptowars: A short history of encryption politics

Links

- Read more about PI's work on encryption

- Matt Blaze and crypto.com⁠; you can now find Matt at ⁠mattblaze.org⁠

- More about ITAR and the export of cryptography

- More about France's ban on encryption ending in this 1999 article from the Register

- More about the Data Encryption Standard⁠

Report and Analysis

Long Read

Our challenge against UK's secret TCN powers

Find the answers to all the questions you have regarding the UK's secret Technical Capability Notice (TCN) powers, Apple, and our fight against them.

Report

PI’s Guide to International Law and Surveillance

PI’s Guide to International Law and Surveillance providing the most hard-hitting results that reinforce and strengthen the core principles and standards of international law on surveillance.

Long Read

The UK government's controversial proposal to expand surveillance powers: What you need to know

Building on our response to the government’s plans, this piece explains why what they want to do puts every one of us at risk.

Long Read

A twelve year journey to get Apple’s end-to-end encrypted iCloud services for global users

Apple’s end-to-end encrypted iCloud services are becoming available for global users. This was something that was until now reserved to US users. We have been calling for this for twelve years.

Report

illustration of 2 people alone in a field

Securing Privacy: PI on End-to-End Encryption

PI’s report on end-to-end encryption (E2EE) analyses and defends expanding the use of E2EE to protect our communications.

Report

Bug Off! A Primer for Human Rights Groups on Wiretapping

The explosion of telecommunications services has improved the ability for human rights groups to disseminate information worldwide. New telephone, facsimile and computer communications have created opportunities for human rights groups to improve organizing and to promote human rights faster and at

News

28th March 2025

The Ghost Protocol: More than journalists in your group chats

22nd February 2025

Apple and the long secret arm of the UK Government

4th October 2019

Who, what, why? A guide to understanding the Facebook encryption debate if you have lost the plot

3rd October 2019

PI response to confused governments’ confusing declaration of war and victory on encryption

29th May 2019

Ghosts in Your Machine: Spooks Want Secret Access to Encrypted Messages

15th May 2018

#efail and PGP - What should I do?

21st April 2017

Winning the debate on encryption — a 101 guide for politicians

1st February 2017

Defeating encryption: the battle of governments against their people

Examples of Abuse

Want to know how this translate in the real world? Here is the latest example in the news.

Zoom exempts free service from end-to-end encryption to aid law enforcement

Zoom said it would deliver end-to-end encryption as one of a number of security enhancements to its service, but it will only be available to enterprise and business customers whose identity they can verify and not on the free service. The company says it wants to be able to work with law

See more examples of abuse

Our Advocacy

Privacy International’s letter to the UK Home Office demanding transparency on Technical Capability Notices

The UK government has used its surveillance to issue a Technical Capability notice to Apple to hand over encrypted iCloud data, threatening the privacy and security of users all over the world. We are demanding transparency.