Join us for the launch of a new report exploring how global restrictions on anti-censorship and encryption tools are reshaping the landscape of internet freedom.
Around the world, governments are increasingly exerting control over the technologies people rely on to access a free and open internet. The availability and effectiveness of anti-censorship and end-to-end encryption tools depend on an internet that is open, interoperable, and respectful of individual rights. Anti-censorship tools allow people to bypass state-imposed censorship, communicate freely across borders, and protect their personal data. Similarly, end-to-end encryption ensures secure communication, providing individuals with stronger privacy guarantees and enabling trust in the confidentiality of their messages.
Policymakers, civil society, and the private sector have all taken innovative steps to support these crucial technologies. Some governments have legally protected access to encryption, recognizing its importance for national security. The private sector has increasingly integrated VPNs into mainstream products, making them more accessible for everyday users. Civil society has also successfully pushed back against legislative attempts to introduce backdoors into encrypted communications.
This event will unveil a joint report by EUI and Freedom House, focusing on anti-censorship and end-to-end encryption tools. The report examines the growing government restrictions on these technologies, placing this trend within the broader context of the erosion of a free, open, and interoperable internet. Governments, spanning both authoritarian and democratic regimes, have attempted to restrict access to these tools through outright bans, formalized blocks, and burdensome legal requirements. These measures serve as a force multiplier for existing digital repression, limiting one more way for individuals to bypass censorship and evade intrusive surveillance. Given the interconnected nature of the internet, efforts to undermine these tools in one jurisdiction can have far-reaching impacts beyond national borders.
To support the continued advancement of a free and open internet, the report offers concrete policy recommendations on how to sustain and expand this progress. Doing so is essential for unlocking the economic, societal, and political benefits that a free and open internet can deliver.
Following the launch, a closed-door roundtable, titled Strengthening societal resilience against digital authoritarianism: what role for the EU? , will bring together the authors and invited experts to discuss actionable recommendations that could shape future EU actions in this critical area.
This event is part of the Global initiative on the future of the internet, a project funded by the European Union under the service contract no. NDICI/2023/447-807