The Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched a new advocacy initiative directly targeting Apple, Google, and other tech giants to demand broader adoption of data encryption and more transparent privacy controls.
The campaign is known as "Encrypt it Already," and addresses what the EFF sees as ongoing problems with the way companies like Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon handle data encryption. It hopes to spur changes by calling out companies directly, but also by providing users with resources to help them voice their concerns.
According to EncryptItAlready.org, "End-to-end encryption protects the privacy of your data, puts control over how the data gets used into your hands, and is the best way we have to ensure private conversations remain private,"
"Not enough companies use it as broadly as they should," the page continues. It then goes on to list how it believes tech giants — including Apple and Google — are failing to do enough.
Advanced Data Protection can already be used to encrypt a number of services. And, iMessage has been end-to-end encrypted for 15 years.
Outside of that, the campaign specifically calls out Apple on two fronts. The first implores both Apple and Google to "deliver on their promise of interoperable end-to-end encryption of RCS."
While it commends Apple and Google for encrypting messages sent between like platforms — that is to say, Apple to Apple or Google to Google, it notes that there is no end-to-end encryption between Apple-to-Google or vice versa.
It also notes that both companies are currently working on end-to-end encryption and that there has been some progress. However, EFF is worried that RCS encryption could fall by the wayside as both companies continue to ramp up their artificial intelligence efforts.
Furthermore, in relation to artificial intelligence, the EFF advocates for Apple and Google to provide more comprehensive control over the accessibility of AI systems.
"Google and Apple keep cramming new AI features into their phones and other devices, and neither company offers clear ways to control which apps those AI systems can and cannot access," the EFF writes.
It argues that Apple, Google, and other device makers should add operating system-level AI permissions that are easy to understand. Users should be able to deny AI access to any app, even at the "cost" of missing out on some features.
Meta isn't getting out of it, either. The EFF wants to see Facebook Messenger encrypt group messages and urges WhatsApp to use end-to-end encryption for backups by default.
But it's not just messaging apps that are getting called out, either. The EFF is going after Amazon, too, arguing that it should end-to-end encrypt its camera by default.
These are far from the only examples Encrypt It Already gives. In a time when data leaks are becoming increasingly common, it makes sense that EFF would urge users to confront big tech to keep themselves safe.
