Toronto-Based VPN Provider Plans to Quit Canada over Lawful-Access Bill

A Toronto-based VPN company that began as a project from a university-affiliated research lab says it will relocate if a proposed lawful-access law passes in its current form. The law would require electronic service providers to implement undisclosed modifications that enable police and national intelligence services to monitor users. The company, which serves about 20 million monthly users who rely on its software to bypass censorship in countries such as Iran, Myanmar, Russia and China, says those mandated changes would force it to undermine critical privacy and safety features designed to protect vulnerable users.

Researchers and the lab’s director warn the bill would broadly expand surveillance powers, create constitutional and human-rights risks, weaken transparency and accountability, and threaten encryption and national cybersecurity. An accompanying analysis calls for removing several sweeping elements and proposes amendments to reduce harms. The company’s readiness to leave highlights a wider consequence: passing the bill as drafted could drive privacy-preserving tools and services out of Canada, diminishing protections for users at home and abroad.