Encryption, Agency, and Control - Defending Critical Infrastructures Against Surveillance

The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence systems presents an unprecedented structural challenge to global digital privacy. In his keynote address at the University:Future Festival (U:FF), Udbhav Tiwari, Vice President of Strategy and Global Affairs at Signal, will critically examine the compounding threats AI technologies—such as mass data ingestion and client-side scanning—pose to secure communications. As higher education institutions navigate the festival's theme of operating "Under Pressure" amid rapid technological transformation, the preservation of academic freedom relies more than ever on the integrity of our underlying digital infrastructures.

Drawing upon Signal’s pioneering work in end-to-end encryption and open-source systems, he will articulate why protecting data at the application layer is a fundamental prerequisite for democratic discourse and intellectual autonomy. The session will dissect how the paradigm shift toward aggressive AI surveillance fundamentally alters the balance of power between infrastructure providers and users.

Furthermore, the keynote will outline a rigorous, actionable framework for institutions and developers to resist the normalization of pervasive monitoring. By prioritizing granular user control, radical transparency, and robust cryptographic standards, his keynote will offer a comprehensive roadmap to ensure privacy remains a universal standard in academia and beyond.