Hi John,

In case you missed it, we just found out that hackers breached multiple Big Telecom companies and stole massive amounts of our internet data. Experts are calling it “potentially catastrophic.”¹

But this wasn’t just any cyberattack. The China-based group gained access by exploiting insecure backdoors on our communications. Backdoors are legally mandated wiretapping systems that allow telecom companies to hand over our data to the government for prosecution and “national security” purposes.² This breach just confirms what we and other privacy and security advocates have been screaming for decades: there are no safe backdoors.

We need end-to-end encryption to protect everything from personal communications and bank account passwords to air traffic control systems and nuclear power plant controls. Can you pitch in to fuel the fight for encryption and ensure we close these vulnerabilities for good?

DONATE NOW

We’ve been calling bullshit on backdoors for years. From organizing nationwide rallies to stop the FBI from forcing Apple to create a backdoor on the iPhone³ to demanding an end to the backdoor-enabled spying exposed by Edward Snowden,⁴ this issue sits at the heart of our goals and organizing history.

And while we wish this was all in the past, backdoor vulnerabilities continue to be exploited for heinous privacy violations and crackdowns on marginalized communities. Our team is on the frontline fighting these threats, including:

• Bad Internet Bills⁵ that would require even more backdoors under the guise of “child safety,” like the EARN IT Act that would punish companies for even offering encryption.⁶

• Lack of encryption in private messages⁷, which allowed a Nebraska teen to be prosecuted for seeking abortion care.

• The Section 702 backdoor search loophole that allows government agencies to sift through billions of messages without a warrant.⁸
  

It’s clear that backdoors were dangerous long before this latest attack. But now more than ever, we need to renew our efforts. To meet this moment and finally win safer communications for all, we’ll be mobilizing our allies in Congress, ramping up pressure on Big Tech companies to adopt safer practices, and holding the line against Bad Internet Bills.

But the truth is, all this work takes funds– and we rely on small-dollar donations for the flexibility to fight on our own terms in moments like these. A gift of any size helps us escalate efforts to win end-to-end encryption once and for all. Can we count on your support?

JOIN THE FIGHT

Thank you, John. Whether you’re able to give, share this news, or advocate alongside us, we’re so grateful to have you in the fight for a safer future.

In solidarity,
Alex at ♥️Fight

Footnotes:

1. Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/tech/cybersecurity/u-s-wiretap-systems-targeted-in-china-linked-hack-327fc63b
   

2. TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/07/the-30-year-old-internet-backdoor-law-that-came-back-to-bite/

3. Don’t break our phones!: https://www.dontbreakourphones.org/

4. How the Government Surveils You: NSA Surveillance: https://youtu.be/2YsZoqwRnKE

5. Bad Internet Bills: https://www.badinternetbills.com/

6. No EARN IT Act: https://www.noearnitact.org/#sign

7. Make DMs Safe: https://www.makedmssafe.com/

8. End 702: https://www.end702.com/