Encryption Law by Country
Where strong encryption is a right, restricted, or compelled. National law and policy, mirrored per country.
Source: Global Partners Digital, World Map of Encryption, updated 2026-07-02. Full data at www.gp-digital.org/world-map-of-encryption
Encryption Law by Country (196)
General right to encryption
Although the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms doesn’t provide for a specific right to encryption, the Charter does protect the right to “freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication” (section 2(b)) and provides that “everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure” (section 8). The government of Canada has recognised that these rights would be engaged by any restrictions relating to encryption. A copy of the Charter can be found here .
Mandatory minimum or maximum encryption strength
No known legislation or policies.
Licensing/registration requirements
No known legislation or policies.
Import/export controls
Section 3 of the Export and Import Permits Act allows the government to establish an Export Control List, setting out restrictions on the export of certain articles. Items on the list must generally be authorised by an export permit before they can be exported from Canada, and include certain forms of cryptography. A permit is not required, however, if the cryptographic item is being exported to the USA, nor if the cryptographic item is one that is marketed to the general public. A copy of the law can be found here .
Other restrictions
No known legislation or policies.
Obligations on individuals to assist authorities
There is no legislative power which can be used to require individuals to decrypt encrypted communications. Indeed, in R v. Boudreau-Fontaine (2010 QCCA 1108) , the Quebec Court of Appeal found that an order compelling an individual to provide a password violated his constitutional rights, including his rights to silence and against self-incrimination. Various lower courts have followed this decision, although the Supreme Court of Canada has not ruled on this issue. The federal government has also recognised that it has no legislative authority to compel individuals to provide a password in the course of a criminal investigation. In some cases, however, law enforcement may attempt, using various technical and investigative means to circumvent the protections afforded by encryption or to acquire an individual’s private key or password. When an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy in the information sought, the constitution generally requires law enforcement to secure prior judicial authorisation (normally on a “reasonable grounds to believe” standard) for the search, seizure, or interception of the data sought. In some cases, additional legal safeguards may also apply. Depending on the technical infrastructure in question, in certain cases assistance orders (section 487.014 of the Criminal Code) or production orders (section 487.02 of the Criminal Code) against third parties (including service providers) may be used to facilitate attempts by law enforcement to access to encrypted data. Section 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms requires not only that the search is reasonable, but that the search is conducted in a reasonable manner. This aspect of the section 8 analysis may serve to limit certain methods of circumventing encryption which are clearly disproportionate or prejudicial. Evidence obtained in breach of a Charter right can be excluded subject to section 24(2) of the Charter. A copy of the Charter can be found here . A copy of the Criminal Code can be found here .
Obligations on providers to assist authorities
There is no legislative power which can be used to require telecommunication or online service providers to facilitate the decryption of encrypted communications, although, more generally, and depending on the technical infrastructure in question, in certain cases assistance orders (section 487.014 of the Criminal Code) or production orders (section 487.02 of the Criminal Code) against third parties (including service providers) may be used to facilitate attempts by law enforcement to access to encrypted data. A copy of the Criminal Code can be found here .
Assessment Text Area
According to Canada’s constitution everyone has the right to be secure against “unreasonable search or seizure” and the government of Canada has recognised that these rights would be engaged by any restrictions relating to encryption. There is no legislative power which can be used to require individuals to decrypt encrypted communications and the federal government has recognised that it has no legislative authority to compel individuals to provide a password in the course of a criminal investigation. However, law enforcement may attempt circumvent the protections afforded by encryption or to acquire an individual’s private key or password. The search must be “reasonable” and conducted in a “reasonsable manner”, and generally law enforcement is required to secure prior judicial authorisation. In some cases additional legal safeguards may apply.
Murphy's Law