Apple and Meta have opposed a Canadian bill that the companies say could force them to create backdoor access to encrypted user data if passed by the country’s parliament.
Proposed by Canada’s ruling Liberal Party, Bill C-22 contains provisions that could be similar to a British data access order sent to Apple last year, depending on how they are implemented.
In February 2025, the UK government demanded that Apple grant it global access to all encrypted user content uploaded to the cloud. Apple refused and instead removed its advanced data protection iCloud feature from the UK.
U.S. officials later said Britain dropped its request after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard raised concerns about the risk of violating a cloud data treaty and exploiting U.S. citizens’ data.
Apple now finds itself in a similar bind across the Atlantic. Canadian law enforcement officials say Bill C-22 would help them investigate security threats earlier and act more quickly. But Apple opposed the bill. The company provided Reuters with the following statement:
“In an era of growing and pervasive threats from malicious actors seeking access to user information, Bill C-22, as written, would harm our ability to deliver the powerful privacy and security features that users have come to expect from Apple. This legislation could allow the Canadian government to force companies to break encryption by inserting backdoors into their products – something Apple will never do.
Meta also argued that the bill contained “broad powers, minimal oversight and a lack of clear safeguards” that could end up making Canadians less safe, rather than more.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has always insisted that providing authorities with backdoor access beyond its encryption would open the door for “bad guys” to access its users’ data. Cybersecurity experts agree that it would only be a matter of time before malicious actors discover such an entry point. Apple’s position was strengthened in 2016 when it successfully fought off a U.S. order to unlock a shooter’s iPhone in San Bernardino, California.
The Canadian bill is currently being debated in the House of Commons.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion on this topic, the discussion thread is located in our political news forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.