Apple, Google seek court oversight on Canada online safety bill amid privacy concerns

Tech giants Apple and Google have now urged the Canadian lawmakers to amend bill C-22, on online safety proposals which is presently under debate in the House of Commons, as reported by Reuters. The tech giants are now seeking to include judicial oversight and stronger protections for encryption. The bill which is modelled on similar measures in Britain and Australia aimed to provide law enforcement earlier access to encrypted data to investigate any security threats. While it does not explicitly mandate breaking encryption, but Apple, Google and Meta have warned that it could pave the way for secret orders requiring backdoors in devices and services.Jeanette Patell, Google’s director for government affairs in Canada, told lawmakers: “Secret orders are out of step with other democratic countries and would severely restrict companies’ ability to be transparent with users about how their data is protected.”The report by Reuters further states that Apple’s senior director for user privacy, Erik Neuenschwander, was asked whether the company would leave Canada if forced to build backdoors. He decline the speculation but also empathises that Apple’s hope for “positive amendments” through ongoing dialogue. Earlier also Apple withdrew encrypted cloud backup features in the UK after receiving a secret order there.On the other hand, Canadian authorities are of the view that the bill would enable them to act more quickly against threats. However, the critics say it risks undermining trust in encryption, a cornerstone or digital privacy. Also, the global investors and governments are closely watching Canada’s debate, as it reflects broader tensions between national security priorities and consumer privacy protections.The bill has two distinct parts. Part 1 deals with modernising how police can access subscriber information—basically, whether a telecom like Bell or Rogers provides service to a specific person. That part has drawn relatively little criticism. It's Part 2 where things get complicated.Part 2 creates a new law called the Supporting Authorized Access to Information Act. Under this framework, electronic service providers—a term so broad it could apply to almost any internet-based business operating in Canada—can be ordered to build technical capabilities that let law enforcement and Canada's spy agency, CSIS, access data quickly and consistently.The orders can be issued secretly by the Minister of Public Safety, with approval from the Intelligence Commissioner. There's also a provision allowing the government to require companies to retain certain metadata—including device location data—for up to one year. That means your phone could effectively become a government-accessible tracking device, even if you've done nothing wrong. This debate has played out before. In early 2025, the UK government secretly ordered Apple to hand over global access to encrypted iCloud data. Apple refused, pulled its Advanced Data Protection feature from the UK market entirely, and the British government eventually dropped the demand after the US raised concerns it could violate a cloud data treaty, Reuters reported.Meta also noted in its testimony that France and Sweden abandoned similar proposals, and the EU has since guaranteed robust encryption protections in its online safety legislation.Public Safety Canada maintains the law won't require companies to create systemic vulnerabilities and that tech firms have a "vested interest in keeping their systems secure." But for Apple, Meta, and privacy advocates like the Canadian Constitution Foundation, the concern isn't what the bill says today—it's what its broad, loosely defined powers could be used to demand tomorrow.The bill is still being debated. Its final shape is far from settled.