"‘The Five Eyes’ will meet on June 26-27, 2017, in Ottawa to discuss how to bypass encryption. The governments may pursue a dangerous strategy that will subvert the rights and cybersecurity of all internet users," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States participate in the intelligence sharing partnership.
At their meeting in Ottawa, Australia plans to raise the need for new restrictions on encryption built into popular messaging applications.
The governments could try to force technology companies to give their law enforcement agencies "back door" access into all digital communications in order to fight terrorism.
"If the Five Eyes countries force tech companies to build encryption back doors, it would set a troubling global precedent that will be followed by authoritarian regimes seeking the same," Human Rights Watch senior internet researcher Cynthia Wong said.
Wong explained the five governments should promote strong encryption instead of punching holes in it, "which would lead to a race to the bottom for global cybersecurity and privacy."
Users will be more vulnerable to harm, online and offline, if technology firms are forced to weaken the security of their products, Human Rights Watch added.