TL;DR
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s new “Encrypt It Already” campaign pressures Apple, Google, Meta, and others to make strong encryption the default.
- EFF is calling out stalled features like encrypted group chats, cross-platform RCS security, and private DMs on newer platforms.
- EFF is giving people tools and templates to publicly demand better privacy from major platforms.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has started a new campaign urging major tech companies to keep their privacy promises and make strong encryption the default for everyone.
In a move that echoes its 2019 “Fix It Already” campaign, the digital rights nonprofit is calling out specific failures from Apple, Google, Meta, and others, challenging them to turn vague commitments into concrete privacy features for everyone.
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is considered the best way to protect privacy. It means only you and the person you’re talking to can read your messages or see your data — not the service provider, advertisers, or even government agencies. You see this in practice with WhatsApp and Signal chats, or with Apple’s Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, where you hold the encryption keys.
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Even though E2EE works well, it is still hard to find or hidden in settings. The EFF’s new “Encrypt It Already” campaign says this needs to change. Privacy should be built in, not something you have to search for. The campaign lists three main demands for top tech companies and points out exactly which features are missing, delayed, or hard to find.
- Keep your promises: This demand is for features that companies have already announced but haven’t delivered. The EFF wants Facebook to add E2EE for group messages, and it asks Apple and Google to provide E2EE for RCS that works across platforms (as we speak, Apple is apparently working on end-to-end encryption for RCS in iOS 26.3 Beta 2). The group also urges Bluesky to add E2EE for direct messages, as it said it would.
- Defaults matter: Here, the tech exists but isn’t turned on for you. Telegram famously offers Secret Chats, but its standard direct messages are not end-to-end encrypted by default. WhatsApp has E2EE chats, but doesn’t apply it to your chat backups by default. Even home security is implicated, with a call for Ring to make E2EE for camera footage the standard setting.
- Protect our data: This demand covers areas where other companies are doing better. The EFF asks Google to add E2EE for Google Authenticator backups and for Android backup data. It also wants Apple and Google to add a setting that lets users block AI systems from accessing data in secure messaging apps.
Beyond just implementing the technology, the EFF argues that how companies roll out encryption is vital. They also need to explain clearly what is protected, offer easy-to-use controls, and collect as little extra data as possible. The campaign is encouraging people to speak up by sharing social media toolkits and asking users to upvote feature requests on sites like Telegram and Ring’s forums.
The “Encrypt It Already” campaign aims to build public pressure. The EFF offers ready-made messages on its website that people can share on social media to call out the companies involved.
The push to make end-to-end encryption the default on all devices and apps is just starting. For now, it’s best to turn on every E2EE option you can find in your app settings, and let the companies know you shouldn’t have to search for it.
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