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News, Policy

Internet Society UK Chapter Joins Coalition Letter Urging Government to Protect VPNs

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The Internet Society UK Chapter has added its name to a joint open letter calling on the UK Government to protect the availability of virtual private networks (VPNs), even as it moves ahead with new measures to keep children safer online. The letter, addressed to Rt Hon. Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, was published on 9 July 2026, hosted by the VPN Trust Initiative and the Internet Infrastructure Coalition.

Background

The letter lands amid months of debate over how far the Government should go in restricting VPN use as part of its wider child-safety agenda.… Read more ...

News

Joint Letter on the UK Government’s use of Investigatory Powers Act to attack End-to-End Encryption

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On Thursday 13 February 2025, the UK Chapter of the Internet Society joined a group of over 100 civil society organizations, companies, and cybersecurity experts – as part of an effort led by the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC) – submitted a letter to British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper calling on the UK Home Office to rescind its demand that Apple create a backdoor into its end-to-end encrypted services.

The letter stated that civil society organizations, companies, and cybersecurity experts, including members of the Global Encryption Coalition, called on the UK Home Office to rescind its demand for Apple to create a backdoor into its end-to-end encrypted services.… Read more ...

News

Joint submission of response to OFCOM consultation on Child Safety

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The UK Chapter of the Internet Society produced a Joint Submission with the Internet Society responding to the OFCOM Consultation: Protecting children from harms online

The response, filed on 17 July 2024, reiterates the points made in past submissions to UK consultations conducted by OFCOM but also in relation to the various legislation that went through Parliament in the first part of the year. In particular, the response reiterate that End-to-end encryption (“E2EE”) is needed to safeguard privacy of data including the safety of children.… Read more ...

News, Policy

Joint cross-sectoral statement: Concerns Regarding the Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill

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Release Date: 22 March 2024

The UK Chapter of the Internet Society is a co-author and co-signatory of today’s Joint cross-sectoral Statement that saw Civil Society organisations work with academics and TechUK, to express concerns about a Bill that is reaching Report Stage in Parliament on Monday 25 March 2024.

The Statement was picked up on Friday 22 March 2024 by the BBC News article “‘Mass surveillance’ fears over law change plans”.

The Statement can be found here:

IPA-Bill-joint-cross-sectoral-statementDownload

In parallel, the UK Chapter has been very active in corresponding with the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR).… Read more ...

News, Policy

Joint submission of Evidence to House of Commons Public Bill Committee

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The Internet Society, Internet Society UK Chapter and Access Now have made a joint submission to the call for evidence made by the House of Commons Public Bill Committee which is going to consider the Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill.

This joint submission was sent on 7 March 2024.

The Bill, “A Bill to amend the Investigatory Powers Act 2016; to make provision about information supplied by, or relating to, the Judicial Commissioners; and for connected purposes.” was unusually started in the House of Lords before undergoing Stages in the House of Commons.… Read more ...

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