The Center for Democracy & Technology, Global Partners Digital, the Internet Freedom Foundation, the Internet Society, and Mozilla Corp, constituting the Steering Committee of the Global Encryption Coalition, issued the following statement regarding the adoption of encryption as a principle of computer security for every person in Chile:
On April 8th, the Chilean government published its Cybersecurity Law. This Law has guiding principles that, among other things, identify encryption as a right for every person in Chile. This is an unprecedented milestone not only for Chile but for the Latin American region as a whole. This important step towards online safety will benefit not only Chileans but can and should serve as a model for other countries in the region as they too address cybersecurity threats.
The GEC Steering Committee recognizes and celebrates the active role played by its members in Latin America in reaching this outcome, especially through the Advocacy Committee of the AC-LAC. This Committee conducted targeted actions in 2022, including but not limited to drafting and sending a declaration addressed to the Defense Commission of the Senate of the Republic of Chile arguing in favor of adding encryption to the, then, Cybersecurity bill.
We congratulate Chilean legislators for guaranteeing “the right of all Internet users to keep safe, for protecting the inviolability of private communications, and for guaranteeing the security of the population and the nation” (AC-LAC, 2022). We additionally congratulate President Gabriel Boric for sanctioning the law.