Apple and Meta have raised concerns that Canada’s proposed Bill C-22 could force tech companies to weaken encryption, creating a new clash between government access and digital security.
Both companies oppose the bill, which is now being discussed in the House of Commons. They argue it could make them break the encryption that protects services such as iMessage and WhatsApp.
Apple says backdoors would cross a line
According to Reuters, Apple warned that Bill C-22 would make it harder for the company to provide the privacy and security users expect.
Apple said the bill could let the Canadian government force companies to break encryption by adding backdoors to their products, something Apple says it “will never do.”
End-to-end encryption is designed so only the user, not the provider or law enforcement, can access the data without a key. Security experts usually see this protection as a strong defense against spying and cybercrime.
CBC reported that Apple has raised these concerns in the past. The Canadian bill has sections that could be similar to a U.K. data-access order Apple got last year, depending on how they are applied. In that situation, Apple removed a feature that allowed users to store cloud data with end-to-end encryption. Later, U.S. officials said Britain dropped the request over worries it could violate a cloud-data treaty.
Meta warns of broad powers and weak safeguards
Meta is also strongly opposed to the bill, but their concerns cover more ground.
Rachel Curran, Meta’s head of public policy for Canada, and Robyn Greene, the company’s privacy and public policy director, said the bill’s “sweeping powers, minimal oversight, and lack of clear safeguards” could make Canadians less safe.
They said the law could force companies like Meta to create or keep tools that “break, weaken, or circumvent encryption” and might even require providers to install government spyware on their systems.
These warnings highlight that the debate over Bill C-22 is part of a bigger issue. Governments around the world want more access to encrypted data, but tech companies argue that any official access could create new risks for regular users.
Reuters described the Canadian bill as part of a global debate about whether public safety and strong encryption can exist together.
Ottawa says the bill would not create systemic vulnerabilities
The federal government disagrees that the bill would weaken digital systems. Tim Warmington, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada, said the law would not require tech companies to make changes that add a “systemic vulnerability” to protections like encryption. He also said companies know their systems best and want to keep them secure.
Supporters of the bill think it would help law enforcement find and respond to security threats more quickly. Bill C-22 was introduced by Canada’s ruling Liberal Party, which recently won a majority in parliament. This majority gives the government more power to advance the bill.
A bigger test for digital policy
The debate is now about more than technology; it is also about political trust. If Apple and Meta are right, the bill could allow encryption backdoors that weaken security for millions.
If Ottawa is right, the law could expand lawful access without causing major vulnerabilities. Both sides focus on safety: the government wants faster access to deal with threats, while the companies warn that weaker encryption would create new risks.
In Canada, Bill C-22 is becoming more than a debate about surveillance. It is turning into a test of whether governments can ask for more access to private digital systems without hurting the security those systems are meant to provide.
