Apple, Google Seek Judicial Oversight in Canada Online Safety Bill

Apple, Google Seek Judicial Oversight in Canada Online Safety Bill

Apple and Google have called for judicial oversight to be added to Canada's online safety bill, warning that the legislation could allow secret orders to break encryption and access user data.

Why Is the Bill Controversial?

Bill C-22, proposed by Canada's ruling Liberal Party, is being debated in the House of Commons. Similar laws exist in Britain and Australia. Authorities argue the bill would help investigate security threats earlier and act more quickly.

However, tech companies say weakening end-to-end encryption jeopardizes user privacy and could lead to secret orders creating backdoors into their services.

Tech Companies' Demands

Representatives from Apple and Google testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, pushing for explicit encryption protections and judicial oversight. Jeanette Patell, Google's director for government affairs in Canada, stated that secret orders are out of step with other democratic countries and restrict transparency with users about data protection.

Apple last year received a secret order to break encryption in the UK, prompting it to withdraw encrypted cloud backup features from the country.

Would Apple Leave Canada?

Conservative MP Frank Caputo asked Apple's senior director for user privacy, Erik Neuenschwander, whether Apple would leave Canada if required to build a backdoor. Neuenschwander declined to speculate but expressed hope for positive amendments to the bill through continued dialogue.