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Encryption 19 October 2021

Global Encryption Day – Help us Champion Strong Encryption

By Susannah GrayDirector, Communications

The first ever Global Encryption Day takes place on 21 October, 2021. An initiative from the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC), Global Encryption Day is an opportunity for businesses, civil society organizations, technologists, and millions of Internet users worldwide to show their communities why encryption matters to all of us.

End-to-end encryption keeps people, their information, and their communications private and secure. It underpins online trust, protects members of vulnerable communities, and safeguards the data of governments, businesses, and everyday citizens from criminals and hostile governments. But in some parts of the world, encryption is under threat

Global Encryption Day is an opportunity to tell governments around the world that protecting and strengthening encryption is crucial to making the Internet safer for everyone.

How You Can Take Part

Play the ‘Who’s Listening’ Game

In a world where sharing information securely is crucial to exposing corruption by the rich and powerful, strong encryption is key. In Who’s Listening, you’ll play a local journalist attempting to break the biggest story of your career, while protecting your sources from nefarious forces intent on silencing them. Can you use strong encryption to protect your source and yourself to save the whistleblower’s life?

image of a video game

Take Control of Your Online Security and Privacy and Pledge to Make the Switch

Let us know that you want to Make the Switch to end-to-end encrypted apps, services and platforms by signing the pledge. End-to-end encrypted apps protect your private communications online: no one but you and those you are communicating with can read your communications. Not even the company providing the product can access the content of your end-to-end encrypted communications. Find out why these companies are proud to offer end-to-end encrypted services.

Attend an Event

Over 60 events are taking place on and around Global Encryption Day. More than 30 of them have been organized by Internet Society chapters, including the Belgium, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hyderabad (India), Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Serbia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Venezuela, and Yemen chapters. Take a look at the events page and find an event in your time zone – the Americas | Europe, Africa and the Middle East | Asia | Australia and the Pacific

Use the Social Media and Advocacy Toolkits to Champion Strong Encryption

You can use the Global Encryption Day social toolkit and advocacy toolkit to promote Global Encryption Day and the benefits of strong encryption to your communities. Don’t forget to follow Global Encryption Day on Twitter, Facebook and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Please use the #MakeTheSwitch and #EncryptionDay hashtags.

image of credit card info on a billboard with text "your credit card information on display is the Internet without encryption"

Show Your Policymakers the Global Encryption Day Statement

Help persuade your local policymakers not to weaken strong encryption by showing them the Global Encryption Day Statement. Over 130 businesses and organizations from around the world have signed a statement calling on governments and the private sector to reject efforts to undermine encryption and to instead pursue policies that enhance, strengthen, and promote the use of strong encryption to protect people everywhere.

Watch the Virtual Press Conference

The Global Encryption Coalition virtual press conference will be livestreamed and you’re invited to watch the proceedings. At 13:00 UTC on Thursday, 21 October, a world-renowned advocate for encryption, as well as members and supporters of the Global Encryption Coalition who represent a wide variety of voices for encryption, will be answering questions from journalists from all over the world.  

Become a Friend of the Global Encryption Coalition

Make sure you keep on top of the latest encryption news and show your support for strong encryption by becoming a Friend of the Global Encryption Coalition.

Thanks for your support

We’re counting on everyone, everywhere to help make Global Encryption Day a success. You can find all the latest news and information about Global Encryption Day on the ged.globalencryption.org website. The website is available in multiple languages and has various accessibility options (see the Accessibility/Translation Tool link in the top right hand corner). 

Disclaimer: Viewpoints expressed in this post are those of the author and may or may not reflect official Internet Society positions.

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