The Privacy Coalition has called on the Irish government to abandon work on pre-draft legislation that would give law enforcement access to encrypted messages.
Ryan Polk, author of the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC), which supports and defends encryption around the world, wrote an open letter on Thursday arguing that the bill proposed by Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan could lead to an increase in cybercrime and deter companies from leaving the country.
“Countries that violate encryption risk the privacy and security of people far beyond their borders. But as the country that hosts the EU headquarters of major technology companies such as Apple and Meta, Ireland has a particular responsibility,” he said.
Polk said the Communications, Interception and Lawful Access Act is still being developed and has not yet been drafted, but is expected to be started in the coming months. The Global Encryption Coalition is calling for this bill to be repealed now.
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The letter comes days after another EU chat regulation bill aimed at allowing authorities to scan messages before they are encrypted suffered a major blow following German opposition to the bill.
The lobby group also called on Ireland to withdraw its support for the proposed chat ban, citing privacy and national security concerns.
Eliminating encryption poses a national security risk
Polk argues that weakening encryption makes individuals and businesses more vulnerable to cybercrime such as fraud and identity theft. It is a misconception that encryption can only be weakened for “good people” without creating an access path for bad actors.
At the same time, he noted, sensitive data could become more vulnerable to foreign cyberattacks, putting national security at risk.
“Encryption is an important security feature. Deliberately weakening or circumventing encryption creates systemic vulnerabilities that put everyone at risk and endanger Ireland’s national security,” Polk added.
Ireland is home to many of the world’s largest high-tech companies, with easy access to European and American markets and low corporate tax rates.
Mr Polk said that if the bill were to pass, platforms offering end-to-end encryption would face an impossible choice: either weaken the security of their services to comply or withdraw from the Irish market altogether.
“In either case, the result will be less security and less privacy for Irish citizens, businesses and institutions that rely on encryption to maintain trust in the digital world, including Irish government ministers and Gardaí themselves.”
EU chat control, different beast, same problem
The GEC is calling on the Irish government to repeal local laws and withdraw support for EU chat regulation laws that require messenger services to vet encrypted messages before sending them.
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The situation worsened when the leader of Germany’s largest political party recently announced his opposition to the bill.
In any case, the GEC said it could play a key role in shaping the future of chat control proposals when Ireland assumes the EU Council Presidency in July 2026.
The coalition says it is important that governments “do not underestimate the serious consequences of weakening encryption, as is clear from current domestic proposals”, as “the privacy and security of all European citizens and everyone else is at risk”.
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