EFF pressures Apple, Google, and Meta to expand end-to-end encryption with new ‘Encrypt It Already’ campaign

Encryption

• EFF starts "Encrypt It Already" campaign, urging tech giants to boost encryption.
• Campaign urges end-to-end encryption and privacy defaults for more services
• EFF wants Apple to enable encrypted RCS messaging and better AI privacy controls

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The Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched a new public campaign aimed squarely at some of the world’s largest technology companies, urging them to strengthen user privacy through broader use of end-to-end encryption and better default protections. Branded “Encrypt It Already,” the campaign argues that companies are moving too slowly on measures that are already technically feasible and increasingly necessary.

According to the EFF, end-to-end encryption remains the most effective way to ensure private conversations stay private. In its campaign messaging, the organisation says encryption not only protects user data from unauthorised access, but also puts meaningful control back in the hands of users. Despite this, the EFF believes many companies still treat encryption as optional or limited to a narrow set of products, rather than a baseline expectation.

The campaign website explicitly calls out several high-profile companies, including Apple, Meta, Google, Bluesky, Telegram, and Ring. The EFF is asking these companies to either introduce end-to-end encryption where it is missing or expand it across more of their services. It is also pushing for privacy-protective settings to be enabled by default, rather than buried behind configuration menus that most users never touch.

In Apple’s case, the campaign highlights two specific demands. First, the EFF wants Apple to deliver on its promise of interoperable end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging. This would allow encrypted messaging between iPhone users and Android users using the RCS standard, rather than limiting strong encryption to iMessage conversations alone.

Second, the EFF is calling on Apple to give users more granular control over how artificial intelligence features interact with secure communications. Specifically, it wants an AI permissions system that allows users to block AI access on a per-app basis, including for secure chat platforms. This concern reflects a growing anxiety around AI agents being granted deep system-level access.

That concern was recently echoed by Meredith Whittaker, the president of Signal, who warned that AI agents could introduce serious security and privacy risks if they are allowed to interface directly with otherwise encrypted messaging apps. Her comments have added urgency to calls for clearer boundaries between AI features and private user data.

On the RCS front, Apple may already be moving in the direction the EFF is demanding. Just weeks ago, iOS 26.3 beta 2 introduced new carrier bundle settings related to end-to-end encryption support for RCS messages within the Messages app. While Apple has not officially announced a launch timeline, these changes suggest that the groundwork is being laid.

The broader push for encrypted RCS messaging gained momentum last March, when the GSM Association finalised a standard for end-to-end encryption in RCS. Following that announcement, both Apple and Google publicly confirmed that they intended to support encrypted RCS in their respective messaging platforms. Progress since then has been slow, but recent beta developments indicate that movement is finally happening.

Overall, the EFF’s campaign reflects mounting pressure on tech companies to treat encryption and privacy as defaults rather than premium features. As AI integration deepens and cross-platform messaging becomes more common, the gap between what companies promise and what they deliver is coming under sharper scrutiny. Whether the “Encrypt It Already” campaign leads to faster action remains to be seen, but it adds another loud voice to a debate that is no longer going away.