Swiss-based tech company says it would not comply with Canada’s dystopian internet bill

(LifeSiteNews) — One of the world’s foremost internet Virtual Private Network (VPN) companies has stated that it would not comply with a “dystopian”  Canadian government bill, which, if passed, would both give police extra powers to monitor and search Canadians’ online digital activity without a warrant and mandate that logs be kept of user data.

Proton VPN, a Swiss-based tech company, said there is “no universe” in which it would log user data for the purpose of giving it to the government or officials on demand.

“We’re going to reiterate this one more time: there is no universe in which Proton VPN compromises its no-logs policy,” said Proton in a recent post on X.

Bill C-22 empowers the government to order VPN providers in Canada to retain metadata for up to a year.

The EU’s highest court has struck down this type of mass data retention legislation twice already, suggesting it won’t stand up to scrutiny:

1. https://t.co/lcRCD0NWqU
2.… https://t.co/ZYRwYlDW7c

— Proton VPN (@ProtonVPN) May 19, 2026

Proton was referring to Bill C-22, which was introduced by Canadian Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, purportedly to address privacy concerns relating to another bill, Bill C-2, that would have permitted police and government officials to open and examine Canadians’ personal mail. It would also ban cash donations over $10,000.

Proton said that, as written, Bill C-22 “empowers the government to order VPN providers in Canada to retain metadata for up to a year.”

The Swiss company noted how the European Union’s highest court has already “struck down this type of mass data retention legislation twice already, suggesting it won’t stand up to scrutiny.”

Bill C-22, known as the Lawful Access Act, would require internet service providers across Canada to retain metadata, including location and transmission data, for up to one year.

Proton’s general manager, David Peterson, recently said that complying with any foreign surveillance orders in a legally prudent manner is a criminal offense under Swiss law.

“We’ll defend our Canadian users and never compromise them. We will fight C-22’s application by every means available,” he said.

Anandasangaree has claimed that Bill C-22 would “give our officers the tools they need to keep Canadians safe in the 21st century, while ensuring we continue to uphold Canadians’ Charter and privacy rights.”

READ: Canada’s House of Commons passes ‘anti-Christian’ bill that would criminalize quoting Bible

Proton VPN is not alone in criticizing Bill C-22. Nord-VPN has raised concerns over it, as have all major tech companies such as Canadian-based Windscribe.

“There isn’t a scenario in which we would compromise our no-logs architecture or encryption protections,” said NordVPN.

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) recently said that Bill C-22 is a “serious threat” to Canadians’ privacy rights.

A group of Canadian lawyers and top academics have demanded in an open letter that Bill C-22 be amended, stating that there are “serious constitutional concerns” that might violate the privacy and Charter rights of Canadians.

Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s legacy of censorship bills has continued with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Bill C-9, the “Combating Hate Act,” was passed by the House of Commons earlier this week and now awaits Senate approval. The bill opens the door to criminalization of religious expression and belief when quoting certain parts of the Bible.