A popular Canadian content creator known for his deep dives into online privacy is sounding the alarm over Bill C-22, arguing the Carney Liberals' proposed lawful access legislation would force tech companies to weaken encryption and put ordinary Canadians at greater risk.
Mutahar Anas, who runs the YouTube channel "SomeOrdinaryGamers" under the online moniker "muta," has spent years teaching his audience about digital self-defence. In a video posted this week, he accused lawmakers of pursuing a mass surveillance agenda.
Bill C-22, introduced in the House of Commons, amends the Criminal Code to streamline how police and prosecutors obtain basic subscriber information from telecoms and digital platforms. The legislation also creates a mechanism for production orders and clarifies the ability of peace officers to collect publicly available data or information voluntarily handed over by companies.
But Anas says the bill's language is dangerously vague.
“The definitions of systemic vulnerabilities and encryption are not clear enough in C-22, leaving wiggle room for the government to demand companies circumvent encryption,” he said. “It's filled with vague language, which is rightfully called out by a lot of privacy groups.”
The creator's central technical argument is one echoed by many cybersecurity experts: encryption is binary. A system either protects all users, or it protects no one.
“You either give people full control over an encryption or you just give them nothing at all. There’s no half measures,” Anas explained. “The reality of it is you can either have none of it, or you can have all of it. That’s just how it works—no criminal and also by extension no cop should be able to bypass it.”
To illustrate the risk, Anas pointed to an exploit called Yellow Key that surfaced in security research circles. The tool demonstrated how an attacker with physical access to a computer could bypass Microsoft's BitLocker drive encryption.
While he stopped short of alleging a deliberate backdoor, Anas argued the case shows that any access point created for law enforcement will inevitably becomes a vulnerability that criminals can exploit.
“Having a backdoor into your personal life simply for the government to keep you safe usually ends up with a giant security nightmare for criminals to take advantage of,” he said.
Concerns have been echoed by tech giants and digital rights organizations. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, has publicly stated that while the bills speak of systemic vulnerabilities, the term remains undefined. Essential words like encryption are left to regulations yet to be written, creating uncertainty for platforms that offer end-to-end protected services.
Anas, who uses encrypted messaging app Signal and VPN services such as NordVPN, noted that some of those companies have already signalled they would rather leave the Canadian market than comply with mandates to weaken their security architecture. Signal has said it would stop operating in Canada if forced to undermine its encryption, and NordVPN has suggested it might relocate its infrastructure out of Canadian jurisdiction.
“Requiring these individuals to break the very fundamental thing that they are selling to the audience is insanity,” Anas said. For iPhone users, the stakes are even higher: if apps like Signal are pulled from the Canadian App Store, regular users would lose the ability to install or update it without technical workarounds.
The YouTuber says he is not opposed to law enforcement having tools to investigate serious crimes. He pointed to the FBI's Operation Trojan Sheild—where authorities secretly ran an encrypted phone network and caught criminals using their own platform—as an example of targeted, effective policing that does not endanger the security and privacy of every law-abiding citizen.
“If these governments really wanted to stop criminals, they would do the tried-and-true way of making a honeypot,” Anas said. “Running a honeypot is way better, way more effective than just throwing the baby out with the bathwater and putting everyone in danger.”
The debate in Canada mirrors similar fights playing out in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union (EU), governments across the western world are pushing for expanded access to encrypted communications and user data in the name of fighting terrorism, child exploitation, and organized crime.
For Anas, the path forward for Canadians is clear: learn about encryption, take control of your own digital security, and push back against laws he believes sacrifice fundamental privacy for a false promise of safety.
“They might take away your privacy. They might take away your freedoms,” he said. “But there's always ways to fight back, especially in the digital age.”
Bill C-22 is currently under study by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.
