4 October 2019

Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,

OPEN LETTER: FACEBOOK’S END-TO-END SECURITY PLANS

The organizations below write today to encourage you, in no uncertain terms, to continue increasing the end-to-end security across Facebook’s messaging services.

We have seen requests from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australian governments asking you to suspend these plans “until [Facebook] can guarantee the added privacy does not reduce public safety”. We believe they have this entirely backwards: each day that platforms do not support strong end-to-end security is another day that this data can be breached, mishandled, or otherwise obtained by powerful entities or rogue actors to exploit it.

Given the remarkable reach of Facebook’s messaging services, ensuring default end-to-end security will provide a substantial boon to worldwide communications freedom, to public safety, and to democratic values, and we urge you to proceed with your plans to encrypt messaging through Facebook products and services. We encourage you to resist calls to create so-called “backdoors” or “exceptional access” to the content of users’ messages, which will fundamentally weaken encryption and the privacy and security of all users.

Sincerely,

7amleh-The Arab Center for Social Media Advancement

Access Now

ACM US Technology Policy Committee

ACT | The App Association

AfroLeadership

Alternatives

American Civil Liberties Union

Americans for Prosperity

APADOR-CH

ARTICLE 19

Asociación Argentina de Usuarios de Internet – Internauta Argentina

Asociación Colombiana de Usuarios de Internet

Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC), Argentina

Association for Progressive Communications (APC)

Association for Technology and Internet – ApTI Romania

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)

Bolo Bhi

Bits of Freedom

Canadian Internet Registration Authority

Cedis/IDP – Centre for Law and Internet Studies

Centro de Ensino e Pesquisa em Inovação (CEPI), FGV Direito SP, Brasil

Center for Computer Security and Society, University of Michigan

Center for Democracy & Technology

Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression (CELE), Universidad de Palermo

Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)

CETyS at Universidad de San Andrés, Argentina

Coalizão Direitos na Rede

Code for Romania

Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)

Colnodo

Credo Global

Defending Rights & Dissent

Demand Progress Education Fund

Derechos Digitales, América Latina

Digital Empowerment Foundation

Digital Rights Watch

Državljan D

Electronic Frontier Finland

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Electronic Frontiers Australia

Electronic Privacy Information Center

EMPOWER Malaysia

Engine

epicenter.works – for digital rights

Fanstaum Foundation

Fight for the Future

Foundation for Media Alternatives (Philippines)

Free Press

Freedom of the Press Foundation

Fundación Datos Protegidos (Chile)

Fundación Karisma, Colombia

Future of Privacy Forum

Fourth Estate

Gambia YMCA Computer Training Centre and Digital Studio

Global Forum for Media Development

Global Partners Digital

GreenNet

guifi.net

Hermes Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights

Hiperderecho, Peru

Hub Women on Technology

Human Rights Watch

Index on Censorship

Instituto Beta para internet e Democracia

Instituto de Referência em Internet e Sociedade (IRIS), Brazil

Instituto de Tecnologia e Sociedade do Rio de Janeiro (ITS)

International Media Support (IMS)

Internet Australia

Internet Freedom Foundation

Internet Society

Internet Society – Bulgaria

Internet Society UK England Chapter

Internews

InternetNZ

ISUR, Universidad del Rosario, Colombia

IT-Political Association of Denmark

Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet

Iuridicum Remedium, z.s.

Latin-American Privacy Association

LGBT Technology Partnership

Media Matters for Democracy, Pakistan

National Coalition Against Censorship

NetBlocks

New America’s Open Technology Institute

Open Briefing

Open Rights Group

OpenMedia

Open Net Africa

Open MIC (Open Media & Information Companies Initiative)

Paradigm Initiative

Pasifika Nexus

PEN America

Prostasia Foundation

Privacy International

R3D: Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales

Ranking Digital Rights

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Restore The Fourth, Inc.

Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC)

SHARE Foundation

Simply Secure

South Pacific Computer Society

SMEX

S.T.O.P. – The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project

TechFreedom

Tor Project

Unwanted Witness Uganda

Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment (VOICE)

Vrijschrift

WITNESS

Women Of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)

Zenzeleni Networks NPC

This signatory list was updated October 8, 2019.