In the wake of the continued disclosures regarding government mass surveillance, the majority of the reform conversation has revolved around the need for increased transparency. However, many of these disclosures highlight the ease by which unauthorized actors can access large amounts of personal information without any judicial process or oversight.

It’s time to expand the public discourse about how to properly secure data and defend privacy.

Robust encryption is the next step toward protecting our networks and data from unauthorized surveillance. The Data Security Action Plan offers 7 security-enhancing steps that every internet platform should take to provide minimum protection. These protections will help prevent unauthorized access, and move state actors toward using proper, legal channels to obtain personal information.