This online event will discuss insights from the report "Tunnel Vision: Anti-Censorship Tools, End-to-End Encryption, and the Fight for a Free and Open Internet"
Governments worldwide are increasingly controlling the technologies essential to accessing a free and open Internet. Over the past five years, anti-censorship technologies have been blocked in at least 21 of the 72 countries covered by the 2024 edition of Freedom House’s Freedom on the Net, and end-to-end encrypted services have been blocked in at least 17 countries.
Anti-censorship tools allow people to bypass state-imposed restrictions, communicate securely, and safeguard their data. Similarly, end-to-end encryption ensures confidentiality in digital communications, underpinning trust across the global Internet. Across the authoritarian–democracy spectrum, governments have sought to restrict these tools through outright bans, technical blocks, and burdensome legal demands. These actions amplify existing digital repression, limiting critical methods for circumventing censorship and surveillance, with negative impacts extending beyond national borders due to the Internet’s interconnected nature.
In response, policymakers, civil society, and the private sector have innovatively supported these technologies. Several governments have legally protected encryption, emphasising its role in national security. The private sector has mainstreamed VPNs into everyday products, normalising secure Internet use, while civil society organisations have successfully opposed laws mandating encryption backdoors.
Join us for an online discussion on the main findings of the report Tunnel Vision: Anti-Censorship Tools, End-to-End Encryption, and the Fight for a Free and Open Internet, which analyses these growing restrictions within the broader context of a deteriorating free and open Internet.
The event will unpack some of the concrete policy recommendations from the report and bring together a panel of global experts to consider the following key questions:
- How do government restrictions on anti-censorship and encrypted tools impact citizens’ rights, and how does the impact vary across different regional contexts and political systems?
- What are the current priorities for strengthening the Internet freedom ecosystem in different regions?
- How can the private sector, civil society, and policymakers best collaborate to defend open and secure access to digital tools?
At the EUI and the Robert Schuman Centre, we are dedicated to removing barriers and providing equal opportunities for everyone. Please indicate in the registration form your accessibility needs, if any. Alternatively, you can contact the logistics organiser of the event.
JOIN THE WEBINAR AT 14.00 CEST HERE.