The Liberal government, led by Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, has announced plans to amend Bill C-22 following widespread criticism from privacy advocates and tech companies.

The bill, which establishes a lawful access regime, would require electronic service providers to retain certain types of user data for up to one year and allow police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to request access to private information with a judicial warrant.

Concerns have been raised that the bill could compromise encryption, but Anandasangaree confirmed the government does not intend to mandate backdoors into encrypted services.

He pledged to clarify the legislation's language to better protect encryption and define the types of metadata to be retained, while maintaining the one-year retention period.Additionally, the minister indicated the government may compensate companies for the costs of implementing data interception capabilities.

Tech giants such as Apple, Meta, and Google, along with encrypted service providers like Signal and NordVPN, have opposed the bill, citing potential privacy violations.Anandasangaree also criticised these companies for lacking transparency in their own privacy practices.Opposition parties, including the Conservatives, NDP, and Green Party, have called the bill a form of government overreach.The proposed amendments aim to balance law enforcement needs with privacy protections in Canada’s digital landscape.