Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOGL) Slam Canada’s C-22 Bill; Signal, NordVPN Threaten Exit

On May 26, 2026, Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOGL) and a coalition of privacy-focused firms escalated their opposition to Canada’s proposed Lawful Access Act (C-22), warning it would erode encryption and user privacy, with some vowing to halt services in the country if the bill passes in its current form. The legislation, which has cleared two readings in the House of Commons and now heads to the Senate, would significantly expand law enforcement’s power to access user metadata and electronic data. Apple stressed it would never build a “backdoor,” while Google decried the bill’s “mass secret order powers” to make companies create interception capabilities. Encrypted messaging app Signal and VPN providers NordVPN and Windscribe explicitly threatened to exit the Canadian market, citing the bill’s incompatibility with end-to-end encryption and privacy safeguards. Shopify (SHOP-US) CEO Tobi Lütke called the bill’s provisions “absurd” and potentially “fatal” to the country’s tech sector. Two U.S. congressional committee chairs also expressed alarm over cross-border data risks. The Canadian government defended the measure, denying it mandates backdoors or device surveillance, and argued it is necessary to give police modern tools for criminal investigations.