By John Perrino – Internet Society
Global Encryption Day (GED) continues to grow awareness of how encryption empowers and protects people online.
The fourth annual GED was celebrated around the world on October 21 with 60+ coalition member events held over four weeks — from Japan to South Sudan and San Francisco. Social media posts shared by policymakers, technologists, and civil society leaders raised the importance of encryption for everyone.
With continued debates on regulation that would break end-to-end encryption in the name of child safety, experts are coming together to show how encryption protects children’s privacy and prevents abuse online.
Policymakers are key to the success of Global Encryption Day, offering their support and helping educate colleagues on how encryption helps protect all of us online.
Members of European Parliament (MEP) Marina Kaljurand (Estonia, S&D) and Marketa Gregorová (Czechia, Greens/EFA) co-hosted an educational GED workshop within the European Parliament, inviting representatives from the Global Encryption Coalition Steering Committee to share insights on the value of encryption.
Seven MEPs signed a pledge to advocate for end-to-end encryption and MEPs Saskia Bricmont, Markéta Gregorová, and Marcel Kolaja shared their support for strong encryption on social media. MEP Bricmont warned that calls to scan all messages threatens the privacy and data security of journalists, activists, and everyone else.
In the United States, Senator Ron Wyden called encryption “the technology responsible for protecting our rights and security online.” The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said “strong encryption is a necessary step in securing tomorrow” and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration called the technology “one of the most powerful tools to protect people’s privacy and security.”
The United Nations Human Rights Office warned against the use of “invasive spyware” for global human rights, emphasizing that “the right to privacy must be protected in the digital age.”
Dozens of civil society organizations, journalists, and technologists also celebrated the event including Pulitzer Prize winner Julia Angwin, Digital Rights Foundation Executive Director Nighat Dad, and Index on Censorship CEO Jemimah Steinfeld.
Angwin highlighted the importance of encrypted communications for protecting journalists and their sources while Dad, a Pakistani human rights lawyer, discussed the importance of online privacy for marginalized groups and vulnerable communities.
GED continues to provide civil society leaders and technologists a platform to highlight the importance of strong encryption and the implications of policy proposals that would weaken those protections for everyone.