# Manifesto Against All Idiotic Laws That Destroy Digital Freedom and Privacy

We, the authors, maintainers, and users of free software, declare total and uncompromising opposition to every law, regulation, and government practice on Earth that undermines the fundamental human rights to privacy, anonymity, secure communication, and uncensored access to knowledge.

These laws are not “necessary security measures.” They are idiotic, authoritarian power grabs that treat every citizen as a suspect and every developer as a potential criminal. We reject them entirely.

**The condemned categories of laws (non-exhaustive, current as of 2026):**

1. **Encryption-weakening / backdoor mandates**  
   Any law that forces developers or companies to insert government access mechanisms, limit key lengths, or provide “exceptional access” (Australia’s Assistance and Access Act, UK Investigatory Powers Act, similar proposals in the EU “Chat Control” regime, India’s IT Rules traceability requirements, etc.).

2. **Mass data-retention mandates without judicial oversight**  
   Laws requiring ISPs, hosting providers, apps or operating systems to store metadata or content for months or years (Russia’s Yarovaya Law, China’s Cybersecurity Law, remnants of EU data-retention regimes still enforced in several member states).

3. **Warrantless mass surveillance**  
   Laws authorizing bulk collection of communications or location data without individualized probable cause (US FISA §702 / CLOUD Act, China’s National Intelligence Law, Russia’s Sovereign Internet Law, similar frameworks in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, and others).

4. **Criminalization or severe restriction of privacy tools**  
   Bans, licensing requirements, or effective blocks on VPNs, Tor, end-to-end encryption, or anonymity networks.

5. **Compelled disclosure and data-localization laws**  
   Laws forcing companies to store data locally or hand it over to authorities without due process or international safeguards.

6. **Internet censorship and intermediary liability regimes**  
   Laws that turn platforms and developers into state censors (EU Digital Services Act enforcement practices, India’s IT Rules, China’s Great Firewall architecture, etc.).

7. **Mandatory age verification and digital ID mandates**
   Any law requiring platforms, operating systems, app stores, websites, or services to implement government-approved age checks, identity verification, biometric estimation, parental linkage, or age-signal transmission—especially when banning anonymous/self-declared access, forcing data collection, or creating liability for non-compliance (Brazil’s Digital ECA / Law 15.211/2025, US state-level porn-site laws in 25+ states, California’s Digital Age Assurance Act, similar proposals targeting social media / OS-level gating in multiple jurisdictions).

**Prohibited jurisdictions**  
Any country, state, province, or supranational entity that currently maintains **any** law falling into the above categories is declared hostile to digital freedom.  
Current non-exhaustive list (updated by project maintainers as needed): China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, India, Brazil, Australia, United Kingdom, United States (federal level via FISA/CLOUD Act, Digital Age Assurance Act, and similiar laws), and any EU member state actively enforcing or expanding Chat Control / mass-retention rules.

We do not negotiate with these regimes. We do not provide them tools. We do not accept their money, their contributions, or their “compliance.”

**Our pledge**  
Every line of code released under this manifesto and license is a deliberate act of resistance.  
If you live under one of these regimes and you still want to use the software for personal, non-state, non-corporate use that does not benefit the oppressive apparatus, you are welcome.  
If you are a government employee, contractor, or entity acting on behalf of any prohibited jurisdiction — you are not.

Privacy is a human right.  
Encryption is a human right.  
Digital freedom is a human right.

Any law that says otherwise is idiotic and illegitimate.

We will not comply.  
We will not apologize.  
We will keep building.

— The Digital Freedom Resistance