FTC Issues Letters to Big Tech: No Back Doors
Purism
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- FTC Issues Letters to Big Tech: No Back Doors - August 25, 2025
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FTC to Big Tech: No Back Doors — Purism Was Already There Protecting against Jurisdictional Arbitrage
When the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) makes a determined move like this, it’s not a casual policy tweak — it’s a line drawn in permanent ink. On August 21, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent formal notices to over a dozen of the world’s largest tech companies declaring that U.S. consumer privacy is not negotiable. This is a direct attempt by the US federal government to ensure that data is protected, no matter where it may reside from a geographical or jurisdictional aspect. They are obviously concerned about data of Americans as it traverses the internet and is processed and stored in data centers around the world.
If a company compromises American protections abroad to appease foreign governments — even allies — it will face repercussions at home.
This is more than regulatory posture; it’s a declaration of digital sovereignty. And for Purism, it’s vindication.
Purism has been advocating transparency and digital privacy since its inception. Purism doesn’t need to be told to comply because we have been doing business in a manner consistent with what the FTC is stating here: we pledge to protect data no matter where it is in the world. One way of achieving this goal is the fact that Purism does not collect user data or other information from any of our devices nor operating system (OS). We do not share it, and we do not store it on foreign servers. Purism is already in accordance with the FTC mandate.
Engineered for a World Without Compromise
While Big Tech players scramble to reconcile contradictory obligations — weakening encryption for UK legislation here, filtering content to appease EU mandates there — Purism doesn’t need to hold a crisis meeting. The company’s infrastructure was built from inception to resist exactly these kinds of demands.
Zero compromise isn’t a slogan; it’s an architecture.
No backdoors. No conditional privacy. No exceptions.
That’s the kind of operational clarity you get when protecting user data isn’t an afterthought, but the first principle. When Apple paused its Advanced Data Protection rollout in the UK to avoid weakening encryption globally, it was a tactical retreat. Purism doesn’t have to retreat. It’s already fortified.
Foreign Pressure Meets Domestic Resolve
The FTC’s warning comes amid a surge of laws abroad — from the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act to the EU’s Digital Services Act — that threaten to erode encryption, expand surveillance, and normalize censorship. Ferguson’s position makes it plain: bend abroad, and you will answer for it here.
For Purism, that’s not a new challenge; it’s the operating environment we’ve prepared for all along.
The Strategic Signal
For U.S. agencies, privacy-conscious enterprises, and consumers who understand that security can’t be selectively applied, this is more than guidance — it’s alignment. The FTC has essentially announced that the high-water mark for digital rights isn’t moving downward.
At Purism, we point to our track record and say: “We didn’t adapt to the FTC’s standard — we already were operating this way since conception.”
Purism Products and Availability Chart
| Model | Status | Lead Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Librem Key (Made in USA) | In Stock ($59+) | 10 business days | |
 | Liberty Phone (Made in USA Electronics) | In Stock ($1,999+) 4GB/128GB | 10 business days | |
| Librem 5 | In Stock ($799+) 3GB/32GB | 10 business days | |
 | Librem 11 | In Stock ($999+) 8GB/1TB | 10 business days | |
 | Librem 14 | Out of stock | New Version in Development | |
 | Librem Mini | Out of stock | New Version in Development | |
 | Librem Server | In Stock ($2,999+) | 45 business days | |
 | Librem PQC Encryptor | Available Now, contact sales@puri.sm | 90 business days | |
 | Librem PQC Comms Server | Available Now, contact sales@puri.sm | 90 business days |
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