Toronto-based VPN provider plans to quit Canada over lawful-access bill
6 hours ago
- Canadian tech company Psiphon plans to leave Canada if the lawful-access bill C-22 passes, as it would force compromising user privacy features.
- Bill C-22 requires telecoms and internet service providers to add surveillance capabilities for police and CSIS, sparking backlash from tech firms.
- Psiphon has 20 million monthly users worldwide, with surges during repression events, and serves 3.5 million users in Myanmar under military junta.
- The company's open-source code builds trust, but the bill could mandate secret surveillance changes, undermining that trust and exposing vulnerabilities.
- Psiphon, born from University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, feels relocation is the only option if the bill passes, despite not wanting to leave Canada.
- Other VPN companies like Windscribe also threaten to leave Canada, citing weakened encryption and forced intercept capabilities.
- The government argues the bill balances security and privacy, with end-to-end encryption protected except in extreme cases.
- Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree expects the bill to pass, and most electronic service providers won't face lawful-access obligations.
- Psiphon received $600,000 in federal funding this year but says the bill could disrupt its mission to protect against authoritarian surveillance.