Open Letters
Speaking up for an open and trusted Internet.
29 October 2024
Preserving the Open Internet
Europe’s open Internet ecosystem faces serious threats as new proposals would give large telecom operators undue influence, risking competition, increased costs, and degraded service quality. Along with other advocates, we urge the EU Commission to uphold net neutrality and protect Internet accessibility for all. This open letter to Commissioner-designate Ms. Virkkunen calls on Europe to lead in preserving digital rights and freedoms.
17 October 2023
Open Letter to Interior and Justice Ministers of EU27
The Internet Society, supported by cross-group Members of the European Parliament, writes an open letter to Interior and Justice Ministers of EU27, calling for strong end-to-end encryption as part of the Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse.
4 July 2023
Opposition to California Journalism Preservation Act of 2023
Internet Society writes letter to California Senate Judiciary Committee opposing the California Journalism Preservation Act due to its significant concerns about Internet fragmentation.
10 May 2023
Opposition to the Strengthening Transparency and Obligations to Protect Children Suffering from Abuse and Mistreatment Act of 2023 (“STOP CSAM Act of 2023”)
Internet Society writes open letter to Senate Judiciary Committee to express concerns about threats to encryption and of Internet fragmentation in STOP CSAM Act of 2023.
April 2022
Open Letter on Qualified Web Authentication Certificates on the European Identity (EUid) Regulation
Andrew Sullivan joins Internet pioneers Vint Cerf and Steve Crocker, and other Internet community members to raise their concerns about a European legislative proposal that would undermine web security.
March 2022
Internet Society and Civil Society Groups Call Upon US Government Not to Disrupt Internet Access in Russia or Belarus
Access Now, Wikimedia Foundation, and over 35 other civil society organizations called upon the US government to ensure the people of Russia and Belarus are not cut off from the internet. The signatories deplore Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urge that further restricting the internet in Russia and Belarus will only accelerate violence and repression.
March 2022
Letter to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission
International coalition of organizations calls on the BTRC to withdraw and reconsider the “Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Regulation for Digital, Social Media and OTT Platforms”.
June 2021
Open Letter to Members of UK Parliament: End-to-End Encryption Keeps Us Safe
The members of the Global Encryption Coalition and other organizations are calling on the Home Office to explain how it plans to protect the British public from criminals online when it is taking away the very tools that keep the public safe.
May 2021
Canada Used to Support an Open and Secure Internet. Why Is That Changing?
Canadian Internet experts are calling on the Government of Canada to start making better-informed decisions about the Internet.
March 2021
ISPs Must Commit to Basic User Privacy Protections
Mozilla, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Internet Society call on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to commit to limiting data collection and retention, and ensure transparency around how data is stored and used — including data sharing with business partners and affiliates for non-operational purposes.
July 2020
Open Letter Against Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act
The Internet Society, along with more than 75 other civil society and industry organizations and individual cybersecurity experts, have signed on to an open letter strongly opposing the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data (LAED) Act.
March 2020
Civil Society Coalition Condemns EARN IT Act
The Internet Society joins a coalition of 25 civil society organizations sending a letter to Senators Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees expressing strong opposition to the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act (“EARN IT Act”).
January 2020
Amendments to India’s Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules under the Information Technology Act
In pursuing the goal of curbing online misinformation and illegal content through content filtering requirements, the proposed amendments would put the security of the Internet and its users, and the future of a digital India at greater risk.
December 2019
U.S., U. K., and Australia: Encryption Keeps Us Secure
The Internet Society joins over 100 organizations and security experts urging these countries to rethink their calls for exceptional access.
October 2019
Facebook’s End-to-End Encryption Plans
The Internet Society joins over 110 other organizations encouraging Facebook to continue its plans to implement end-to-end encryption across its platform.
October 2019
Internet Society Signs LAC Technical Community Letter on Encryption
The Internet Society LAC Bureau signed a letter on the importance of encryption produced by ALAI and co-signed by LACNIC. The letter underscores the technical and economic aspects of the matter, highlighting that encryption is an essential condition for stability and trust in the digital ecosystem.
August 2019
G7 Leaders: Protect Strong Encryption for a Secure World
The Internet Society and more than 30 organizations call on G7 leaders to prioritize digital security.
July 2019
Amazon on Privacy Policies
Make privacy policies mandatory for all third-party connected devices.
May 2019
Internet Society Signs Open Letter Opposing GCHQ Ghost Proposal For Weakening Encrypted Communications
We must strengthen, not weaken encryption. By whatever name, any point of entry to a secure service is a weakness.
February 2019
Retailers: Apply Security and Privacy Guidelines
The Internet Society joined Mozilla in calling on big retailers in the US like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and Amazon to publicly endorse and apply our minimum security and privacy guidelines and stop selling insecure connected devices.
November 2018
Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace
It is essential to bring the international community together to ensure peace and security in the digital space.
July 2018
Australia: Abandon Plans to Introduce Legislation That Undermines Strong Encryption
The Internet Society and its locally based chapter, Internet Australia, joined 75 organizations urging Australia not to pursue legislation that could undermine the security of encrypted services and devices used by Australians.
May 2018
G20 Leaders: Bring People to the Centre of the Digital Future
Citizens and consumers have a right to be placed at the centre of decisions around the digital society.
February 2016
Secure the Internet
Governments: support the development and use of secure communications tools and technologies and reject policies that would prevent or undermine the use of strong encryption.
August 2015
Presidential Candidates
OTA calls for greater disclosure on collection, use, retention and sharing as well as the ability for consumers to opt out (or ideally opt in) of all such sharing.