SB 868 Is a Privacy Disaster. Tell Florida Lawmakers to Reject It.

Florida’s SB 868 is a deeply invasive bill that puts the privacy and safety of young people at serious risk. If passed, it would:

• Force social media platforms to decrypt teens’ private messages, breaking end-to-end encryption
• Ban “disappearing” messages, a common privacy feature that helps users—especially teens—control their digital footprint
• Allow unrestricted parental access to private messages, overriding Florida’s own two-party consent laws for surveillance
•  Likely pressure platforms to remove encryption for all minors, which also puts everyone they talk to at risk

This bill is a massive overreach. It builds on last year’s HB 3, which is already being challenged in court. Instead of waiting for the courts to decide, Florida lawmakers are doubling down with a bill that’s even more extreme.  

Encryption is one of the most important tools we have to protect privacy online. It keeps conversations safe from surveillance, abuse, and data breaches. That protection matters just as much—if not more—for teens, who are often chatting with friends, family, and trusted adults. Stripping away those safeguards puts everyone at greater risk.  

The truth is, law enforcement already has ways to investigate harm without demanding access to everyone’s private messages. There’s no way to create a “safe” backdoor into encryption—it either protects everyone, or no one.  

Florida lawmakers need to hear from you: tell them to reject SB 868 and protect digital privacy.