The European Union is advancing a dangerous proposal that could undermine one of the most critical foundations of online safety: end-to-end encryption. If these plans are enacted, secure communication could be compromised in favor of mass surveillance, putting the digital privacy of millions at risk.
The EU’s “Going Dark” plan: mass surveillance in disguise
Disguised as a response to the so-called “going dark” problem and following the idea that encryption hinders law enforcement, the EU’s proposal would require backdoors into encrypted systems. In reality, this means giving authorities the ability to bypass encryption.
As TechRadar reports, cybersecurity professionals are alarmed. There is no such thing as a secure backdoor. Once access is created for one party, it exists for all; including malicious actors, authoritarian regimes, and surveillance profiteers. History has shown that surveillance powers, once introduced, are rarely rolled back. What begins as “lawful access” often turns, as a result, into a permanent framework for mass monitoring.
This isn’t about crime, it’s about control
Encryption protects everyone, from journalists and human rights defenders to doctors, lawyers, and everyday users. Weakening it doesn’t stop criminals. It opens the door to:
- Systemic vulnerabilities
- Widespread abuse
- Suppression of dissent
- Democratic backsliding
Time to act: privacy experts must step up
Meanwhile, there’s a narrow window to influence this proposal and it’s open right now. The European Commission is seeking experts to help shape the policy. Law enforcement agencies will be represented but so must technologists, digital rights defenders, and encryption specialists.
From the Commission’s official statement:
“The selection shall prioritise experts with technical profiles, coming from either public or private sector, whilst aiming to ensure proportional representation across the following fields of expertise: • Home affairs, ideally with an experience in fighting high-tech crime, and/or a background in the area of decryption and artifact extraction, computer forensics, network forensics, smartphone forensics, cloud forensics, IoT forensics, memory forensics and/or lawful interception; • Cybersecurity. with diverse backgrounds including but not limited to vulnerability management, evaluation of cybersecurity risks and certification and encryption (including quantum and post-quantum cryptography); • Telecommunication, including with experience in computer networks/Internet, 5G/6G, IoT, VoIP, Satellite, Quantum communication and/or encrypted communication applications; • Big data analysis, including with expertise in AI technologies; • Standardisation, notably in relation with cybersecurity and/or telecommunication technologies, including protocol networks, exchanges of digital data, and lawful interception; • Justice and fundamental rights, including experience in data protection and privacy, as well as experience in criminal justice, such as cyber-enabled and/or cyber-dependent crimes”
Therefore, if you have experience in any of the mentioned domains, apply now. This is a rare opportunity to be heard at a critical moment.
So, what can you do to protect encryption?
As mentioned, apply to the EU expert group or share this opportunity with qualified individuals: https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupID=4005
Speak out: on social media, within your organization, or to your local EU representatives.
Support privacy-first organizations and pressure tech companies to resist backdoor implementation.
FlokiNET’s commitment to digital freedom
At FlokiNET, we are committed to protecting secure communication, online anonymity, and civil liberties. Therefore, we reject any attempt to undermine encryption and we call on the tech, privacy, and cybersecurity communities to rise up and resist. Encryption is not the enemy, it’s a vital defense for a free and secure society.
Let’s defend it before it’s too late.
