As our lives became more digitalized, concerns about online privacy became mainstream. Once a prerogative of corporations and cybersecurity geeks, the use of privacy-preserving software such as VPN services and secure messaging apps is now the norm among citizens around the world.
The Global Encryption Coalition (GEC)
With more than 300 members worldwide, the GEC promotes and defends encryption while supporting companies’ efforts to provide encrypted services to their users. The steering committee consists of the Internet Society, Mozilla, the Internet Freedom Foundation, Global Partners Digital and the Center for Democracy and Technology.
There’s just one problem: the main system responsible for maintaining people’s anonymity, encryption, is under attack as governments around the world increasingly see it as an obstacle. The UK Online Safety Bill (now law) is just one of many regulations trying to break encryption for security reasons.
There is certainly a lot at stake for the future of privacy and security.
That is why the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC) has decided to organize Power to the People: The Encryption Summit. The online event will include a total of five panels, with the goals of “celebrating the many ways encryption makes us powerful, exploring the regulatory challenges it faces, and uniting our community.”
I’ll report the experts’ insights as the event unfolds, so scroll down our live blog coverage below to stay informed.