Major VPN provider says it could leave Canada over lawful access bill

[Dr Strangelove]

Virtual private network service NordVPN warned on Friday it could pull out of Canada over the federal government’s proposed lawful access bill

Why VPNs are threatening to leave
Bill C‑22 would require telecoms, internet companies, and “core providers” to:

Retain metadata for up to one year

Potentially weaken encryption or introduce backdoors for law enforcement and CSIS

Modify systems to enable faster surveillance access

Signal, the encrypted messaging service, has also said it would withdraw from Canada rather than weaken encryption.

U.S. tech giants Apple and Meta warn the bill could force them to introduce vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.

What the government says
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree insists the bill does not grant new powers for indiscriminate access and is meant to modernize investigative tools while remaining Charter‑compliant.

However, civil liberties groups, law professors, and tech companies argue the bill opens the door to serious privacy infringements.

Bottom line
Bill C‑22 has triggered one of the strongest tech‑sector backlashes in Canadian history.
If passed in its current form:

NordVPN may leave Canada

Windscribe may relocate its headquarters

Signal may shut down Canadian service

Apple and Meta warn of weakened encryption and security risks

[al_keda]

Good thing I use an EU based VPN.