Lawful access bill could lead to exit from Canada, major VPN provider says – National

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

NordVPN says it is reviewing the bill and would consider leaving Canada if the bill requires it to compromise its privacy protections.

Earlier this week, The Globe and Mail reported that the encrypted messaging service Signal said it would leave Canada if the bill requires it to compromise user privacy.

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The comments from Signal follow warnings from big tech companies Apple and Meta that the legislation threatens to compromise their encryption services.

The bill also has run into fierce opposition from civil liberties groups and law professors who say it would open the door to serious privacy infringements.

The government says the bill will ensure law enforcement agencies have the legal tools to prevent, investigate and respond to modern crime and protect Canadians in a Charter-compliant manner.

— With files from Jim Bronskill