WhatsApp and Signal unite against child pornography law

WhatsApp, Signal and other messaging companies are uniting against the UK government’s recommendation to monitor app users to extract images of child pornography. The companies said they would rather be blocked from the UK market than undermine the privacy of encrypted messages.

House of Lords lawmakers are debating a bill called the Online Safety Act (OSB), which would require social media giants like Facebook and YouTube to quickly remove illegal content such as revenge pornography or hate speech.

Tech companies say the law could weaken end-to-end encryption and allow mass monitoring of private communications. According to them, the proposals represent a “gross breach of privacy” and “not possible” for technological means to scan messages without damaging E2EE’s privacy.

End-to-end encryption is the strongest form of security, allowing only the sender and intended recipient to read the message information. British government ministers say it is possible to have child safety and privacy, and that the bill does not require services that would weaken encryption.

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Recently, some law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Interpol and the UK’s National Crime Agency, have accused Instagram and Facebook’s parent company Meta of making a “purposeful” decision to maximize cutting-edge encryption. exposing children to child sexual abuse.

The Virtual Global Task Force, made up of 15 law enforcement agencies, issued a joint statement stating that Facebook and Meta’s plans to expand the use of end-to-end encryption on their platforms are “a purposeful design choice that breaks system security.” when it comes to protecting children.