Encryption > Resources
Encryption Resources
Encryption is a crucial feature of a safe and trustworthy Internet. Encryption keeps personal information safe and is also critical to national security, protecting society from terrorists, criminals, and hostile governments.
But encryption is under threat. Some people want to introduce flaws into encryption systems and this makes encryption less safe for everyone. See how we’re promoting and defending encryption around the world and find out how you can stand up for encryption in our resources section.
The Internet Society is part of the Global Encryption Coalition.
Find out how you can get involved.
Factsheets
-
Factsheet: How Encryption Can Protect Advocacy Groups and Social Change Movements
Encryption is a tool designed to help Internet users keep their online data and communications private and secure. It plays...
-
Fact Sheet: Understanding Encryption: The Connections to Survivor Safety
For many survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and trafficking, having private and secure ways to communicate and...
-
Fact Sheet: Does quantum computing put our digital security at risk?
A paper explaining how quantum computing and encryption are related.
-
Fact Sheet: Intermediaries and Encryption
Pressuring intermediaries to weaken security is not the answer to prevent harmful content online
-
Fact Sheet: Government Hacking
Government hacking is one of the approaches national security and law enforcement agencies use to obtain access to otherwise...
-
Fact Sheet: How Encryption Can Protect Journalists and the Free Press
Encryption is a tool designed to help Internet users keep their online data and communications private and secure. It...
-
Fact Sheet: Machine-in-the-Middle Attacks
When using the Internet, we expect that our communications are confidential and have not been changed or tampered with...
-
Fact Sheet: Ghost Proposals
What are “ghost” proposals and why should we care? At least one government has recently proposed that in order...
-
Fact Sheet: Client-Side Scanning
Encryption is a technology designed to help Internet users keep their information and communications private and secure. The process...
-
Encryption: Essential for the LGBTQ+ Community
For some communities, like LGBTQ+ communities, encryption is especially crucial in keeping people safe both online and in real...
-
Policy Brief: Encryption
Encryption technologies enable Internet users to protect the confidentiality of their data and communications from unwanted observation and intrusion.
Info guides
-
Info Guide: For Youth by Youth: 3 Ways to ACT
Heading to a protest or just worried about snooping siblings? You definitely don’t want to be SMSing about it....
-
Info Guide: Virtual schooling: 11 ways to keep your child safe online
Take a look through our back-to-school checklist that aims to help you, as a parent or guardian, make sure...
-
Info Guide: Working From Home
No matter where you are in the world, chances are you’ve been affected in some way by COVID-19. The...
-
Info Guide: 6 Ways “Lawful Access” Puts Everyone’s Security At Risk
What is encryption? Encryption is the process to scramble or hide information so it can only be read by...
Reports
-
Security Through Encryption and Despite Encryption: An (un)Achievable Outcome?
On 16 June 2021 we organised a roundtable to explore in greater detail how to apply the European Council’s...
-
The Economic Impact of Laws that Weaken Encryption
In 2018 the Australian parliament passed the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act (TOLA) 2018, expanding...
-
Traceability and Cybersecurity
Traceability, or the ability track down the originator of a particular piece of content or message, is at the...
Webcasts and Events
Archive of past encryption-related events.
Open Letters, Statements and Submissions
Open letters, statements and submissions that the Internet Society has authored or contributed to.
Global Encryption Day Statement, 21 October 2021
Open Letter to Members of UK Parliament: End-to-End Encryption Keeps Us Safe – Global Encryption Coalition, 15 June 2021
CDT, GPD and Internet Society Reject Time-Worn Argument for Encryption Backdoors – Global Encryption Coalition, 30 October 2020
Open Letter Against Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act – Global Encryption Coalition, 7 July 2020
Open Letter Opposing EARN IT bill – Global Encryption Coalition, 6 March 2020
Open Letter: Facebook’s End-to-End Encryption Plans, 4 October 2019
In the Press
Articles written by Internet Society staff.
- From LGBT+ People to Journalists, Strong Encryption is Crucial for Making the Internet Safer for Everyone – Thomson Reuters Foundation News, 17 November, 2021
- Encryption Protects the Marginalised – and It’s Under Threat – Computer Weekly, 14 October, 2021
- If You See Something, Say Something – maskmatters.org, September 2021 (originally published in subscription-only publication)
- I Confess I’ve Got Things to Hide – EurActiv, 19 August 2021
- The Role of Encryption in Protecting LGBTQ+ Community Members – Dark Reading, 28 June 2021
- The Online Safety Bill Puts the Security of All Citizens and Communities at Risk – The House, 15 June 2021
- WhatsApp Complying with Traceability Will Create Technical Vulnerabilities that Can be Exploited – DataQuest India, 3 June 2021
- The New IT Rules would undermine end-to-end encryption – CIOL, 2 June 2021
- What Public Servants Need to Know About Securing their Communications – Apolitical, 6 May 2021
- The False Promise of Lawful Access to Private Data – Wired, 16 May 2019
- Laisser les Etats décrypter et filtrer Internet peut créer un préjudice pour les citoyens et l’économie (Allowing States to Decipher and Filter the Internet Can Harm Citizens and the Economy) – Le Monde, 16 May 2019
Blog Posts
Our latest blog posts on encryption.
Technical Community Resources
Technical community initiatives that the Internet Society has contributed to or supported.
- Let’s Encrypt: The Internet Society supports the Let’s Encrypt Initiative, which provides free certificates to websites for Transport Layer Security (TLS) and automates the process, making it easier and cheaper for websites to use TLS.
- IAB Statement: Avoiding Unintended Harm to Internet Infrastructure, 4 September 2019
- W3C: Securing the Web, 22 January 2015
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Technical Report: Keys Under Doormats: Mandating insecurity by requiring government access to all data and communications, 6 July 2015
- IETF 2528: Pervasive Monitoring Is an Attack, May 2014
- IAB Statement on Internet Confidentiality, 14 November 2014
Community Highlights
Activities and initiatives on encryption from our chapters, special interest groups (SIGs) and members around the world.
Brazilian Code of Criminal Procedure reform must not undermine encryption
28 June 2021
Four Internet Society chapters sign Global Encryption Coalition open letter urging Brazilian Code of Criminal Procedure reform not to undermine encryption
Open Letter to the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union on the Freedom of Use of Encryption
14 April 2021
Signed by 12 European chapters of the Internet Society
Don’t Poke Holes in Our Digital Security Shield
13 April 2021
Lennart Schulze urged people to tell the EU that their narrative that ‘encryption harms kids’ isn’t correct. Encryption is foundational to security – and is key to keeping children and youth safe online.
Encryption in the News
Media coverage on encryption.
Cooler heads needed in heated E2EE debate, says think tank
The Register
