- More than 200 experts urge Sweden to reject a bill that would mandate for encryption back doors
- If adopted, the legislation could come into force as early as March 2026
- The Swedish Army also warns that a back door would create vulnerabilities that a third party could take advantage of
Over 200 experts have called on the Swedish parliament to reject a proposed law that would force them as a signal, WhatsApp and E email service providers to create an encryption back door in their software.
The draft bill seeks to introduce new obligations for data storage and access to electronic information for law enforcement while ensuring respect for fundamental rights and freedoms. “
Nevertheless, the coalition, which consists of some of the best VPN and secure E email service providers, cryptographers and spokesmen for digital rights, warn that the new rules “would instead undermine the security and privacy and privacy of the Swedish citizens” instead.
The security risk of weakening encryption
As experts pointed out in a joint open letter published on April 8, 2025, “the legislation presents a dangerous approach that would instead create vulnerabilities that criminals and other malicious actors could easily exploit.”
Encryption refers to the encryption of data, making them unreadable and preventing third -party access. Specifically, end-to-end encryption (E2E) is the technical infrastructure that encrypted messaging apps that use to keep your messages private between you and the recipient end to end.
The proposed Swedish legislation seeks to make it easier for law enforcement to combat crime by forcing businesses to save and give access to people’s private communication upon request.
However, experts have long claimed that this is not possible without creating a back door that basically breaks the security infrastructure on which builds encryption.
It’s like building “a Master key that unlocks each door in a building,” noted the coalition, adding that “compromising encryption would leave Sweden’s citizens and institutions less secure than before.”
Sweden wants to #backdoor #Crypption. But we together with 230+ orgs say no.#Notobackdoors 💪 Read our open letter to the Swedish Rikdag: 👉 pic.twitter.com/fe1y8raskiApril 8, 2025
The Swedish armed forces also repeated such security concerns and argued that the proposed new requirements for E2E services “cannot be met without introducing vulnerabilities and back doors that third parties can exploit.”
In February, the Swedish army even approved the use of signal among its employees to make it more difficult for non-classified calls and messages to be captured.
Outside of Sweden, recent events such as Salt Typhoon attack on all major US telecommunications have also given rise to a promise for all citizens to switch to encrypted services.
Ironically, signal president Meredith Whittaker already said that the company would rather leave Sweden than undermine its encryption protection.
If the bill is adopted, the new rules could be enforced as early as March 2026.
Experts are now calling on the Swedish parliament to reject the law and prioritize policies that strengthen rather than weaken cyber security. They wrote: “Sweden’s safety, prosperity and freedom depends on it.”
Not just Sweden
Sweden is not the only EU member who strives to make people’s data more easily accessible to authorities during investigations.
After over three years of trying to pass a law to scan all citizens’ messages in search of sexual abuse of children (CSAM) – what is known as chat control of its critics – the EU Commission just published a new strategy of encryption’s back doors and legal data approach.
Outside the EU, Apple is currently facing the UK in court for the request to make iCloud’s encrypted data available at all times of law enforcement.
Once thought to be a privacy paradise, even Switzerland now wants to change its surveillance law to add new types of surveillance and information collection. A change that would extend the reach of the authority to non-log VPNs and other secure messaging providers.
