The EFF Is Calling Out Big Tech for Failing to Encrypt Your Data

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched a new campaign pressuring six major tech companies to implement or enable end to end encryption for their services. Called Encrypt It Already, the initiative targets Apple, Google, Meta, Telegram, Bluesky, and Ring with specific demands for each company.

Why Encryption Matters

End to end encryption ensures that only you and your intended recipients can read your messages or access your files. Even the company providing the service cannot decrypt the data. This protects users from data breaches, government subpoenas, and rogue employees.

As Thorin Klosowski, Security and Privacy Activist at EFF, stated: "The privacy of our files and communications has never been more important. End to end encryption is the best tool we have to keep them secure."

Three Categories of Demands

The campaign organizes its requests into three categories based on what companies have promised versus what they have delivered:

Keep Your Promises

Features that companies have publicly announced but not yet launched:

• Facebook should encrypt group messages end to end
• Apple and Google should deliver interoperable end to end RCS encryption
• Bluesky should launch the DM encryption it has promised

Defaults Matter

Features that exist but require users to find and enable them:

• Telegram should default to encrypted DMs instead of requiring users to start a secret chat
• WhatsApp should encrypt backups by default, not as an opt in setting
• Ring should enable camera encryption by default instead of leaving footage accessible

Protect Our Data

New features that companies should build based on what competitors already offer:

• Google should offer encrypted backups for Google Authenticator
• Google should provide encrypted Android backup data
• Apple and Google should add per app AI permissions blocking AI access to secure messaging apps

The Telegram Problem

Telegram is often perceived as a secure messaging app, but its default direct messages are not end to end encrypted. Users must manually start a secret chat for encryption, and group chats cannot be encrypted at all. This means Telegram can read most messages on its platform and could be compelled to hand them over to authorities.

The EFF argues that making encryption the default, rather than an option buried in settings, would protect millions of users who believe they already have privacy protections they do not actually have.

AI and Encryption

A notable new concern in the campaign is the intersection of AI features and encrypted communications. As companies like Google and Apple integrate AI assistants that can access message content, the EFF is calling for granular controls that let users block AI from accessing specific apps.

This addresses a growing tension: users may want AI help in some contexts but not want their secure messaging apps feeding data to AI systems that could process or store that information.

What Users Can Do

The EFF is encouraging users to take action through the campaign website, which provides:

• Direct links to feature request forms on company websites
• Pre written messages to share on social media
• Guides for enabling existing encryption features that companies have buried in settings

In the meantime, users can protect themselves by enabling the encryption options that do exist. Turn on WhatsApp backup encryption, use Telegram's secret chats for sensitive conversations, and enable Ring's end to end encryption in the app settings.

A History of Holding Tech Accountable

Encrypt It Already follows the EFF's 2019 Fix It Already campaign, which successfully pressured companies to address various security and privacy issues. The digital rights organization has a track record of using public pressure to push for meaningful changes in how tech companies handle user data.

Whether companies will respond to this latest campaign remains to be seen. But the detailed, company specific demands make it harder for tech giants to claim they do not know what users want. The question is whether they will prioritize user privacy over the business benefits of accessing user data.