Signal confirmed that it would defend “encryption” even if it had to move out of the UK, in light of attempts to legislate the Online Safety Bill. WhatsApp President Will Cathcart also stated that the messaging application would leave the UK if it had to weaken its encryption standards under the bill.
The bill has been under discussion for years and has been put forward strongly by the Government of the United Kingdom on the pretext of dealing with child sexual abuse material or terrorist content on the Internet, where the law obliges social media and messaging platforms; Identify and remove such abusive substances.
For this to be possible, the Bill prohibits encrypted messages, or the production of an encrypted document whose content cannot be consulted, i.e. social media and messaging platforms are required to allow the “Ofcom” to see details of communications traffic and data exchanged, or for companies to scan the content on customers’ devices before encrypting it (client-side scanning), delivering contrary content to law enforcement with customer data.
it’s is the same technology that Apple tried in 2021 to also apply under the pretext of detecting child sexual abuse material, by scanning photo and video libraries on users’ devices. The company, however, suspended the project following criticism that it had faced violations that might occur against individuals in “oppressive” States.
signal and whatsapp are not the only companies to be affected if this law is passed, and in any case all services that provide “encrypted” services. Like email services, VPNs. They will either be bound by or contrary to the law, face legal liability, or exit their services from the UK.
