Author of the Opinion: Bill Laboon, Vice President of Ecosystem at the Web3 Foundation
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently showed a human side in a tech world that often over-promises and moves too quickly. He urged users not to share anything with ChatGPT that they wouldn't want a human to see. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has begun to take notice of this.
His caution touches on deeper truths that underpin our entire digital world. In a realm where we can no longer be sure if we are dealing with humans, it is clear that it is often software that is communicating, not people. This growing uncertainty is not just a technical challenge. It strikes at the trust foundation that sustains society.
This should make us reflect not only on AI but also on something more fundamental, older, quieter, yet more critical in the digital realm: encryption.
In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms and autonomous systems, trust is more important than ever.
Encryption is not just a technical layer; it is the foundation of our digital lives. It protects everything from private conversations to the global financial system, verifies identities, and allows trust to extend across borders and institutions.
Crucially, this is not something that can be recreated or replaced by regulation or policy. When trust breaks down, institutions fail, or power is abused, encryption is what remains. It is the safety net that ensures our most private information remains protected in the absence of trust.
Encryption systems are not like houses with doors and windows. They are mathematical contracts; precise, rigorous, and intended to be unbreakable. Here, a "backdoor" is not just a secret entrance but a flaw embedded in the contract logic, a single flaw that can destroy the entire agreement. Any weakness introduced for one purpose can become an opening for everyone, from cybercriminals to authoritarian regimes. Built entirely on trust through strong, unbreakable code, once that trust is broken, the entire structure begins to collapse. And now, that trust is under threat.
The European Commission's ProtectEU initiative proposes a mechanism that forces service providers to scan private communications directly on user devices before applying encryption. This effectively turns personal devices into surveillance tools and undermines the integrity of end-to-end encryption. While state actors would never allow such vulnerabilities in their own security systems, this mandate creates a separate, weaker security standard for the public.
On the surface, this sounds like a reasonable compromise: stronger encryption for the government, with so-called "legal access" to citizen data. However, it presents a hard-coded imbalance where the state is encrypted, while the public is decrypted.
This is not a security policy. It is a blueprint for digital feudalism—a future where privacy becomes a privilege of the powerful rather than a right guaranteed to everyone. Dual-layer encryption shifts the balance of trust from democratic accountability and consolidates control structures that free societies should not accept. There is no doubt: this debate is not about security. It is about control.
We should not live in a world where only the powerful can have privacy.
In an era of ubiquitous AI, state-sponsored hacking, and mass digital surveillance, undermining encryption is not only shortsighted but systematically reckless. For those of us in a decentralized world, this is not an abstract debate; it is a real concern. Strong, unbreakable encryption is far more than a technical feature; it is the foundation upon which everything else relies.
That is why the mission of Web3 must be rooted in its core commitment: truth. Not the truth of authority, but the truth of verification. This principle of self-executing contracts is why truly decentralized systems do not have a master key or a key-holding authority. Introducing backdoors is a contradiction; it re-establishes a central point of failure and violates the premise of a trustless system. Security is a binary state: either it exists for everyone, or it is guaranteed for no one.
Fortunately, these principles are not merely theoretical. Cryptographic primitives emerging from this field—such as zero-knowledge proofs that can confirm facts without exposing data, and personality proof systems that resist Sybil attacks without compromising privacy—offer a real, viable alternative, showing that we do not have to choose between security and freedom.
Ironically, the very field now under threat possesses the tools we need to build a safer, more open digital future. A future not based on surveillance or gatekeeping, but on permissionless innovation, cryptographic trust, and individual dignity.
If we want a secure, inclusive, and resilient digital world, then encryption must remain strong and universally standardized for everyone.
Not because we have something to hide, but because we all have something to protect.
Author of the Opinion: Bill Laboon, Vice President of Ecosystem at the Web3 Foundation
Related: ECB President: Digital Euro CBDC is "a symbol of trust in our common destiny"
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Original: Opinion: The EU's Dual-Layer Encryption Vision is Digital Feudalism
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