WhatsApp Will Not Comply With British Regulations

Britain’s proposed Online Safety Bill requires messaging companies to remove end-to-end encryption to scan messages for child sex abuse material and is reaching the final stages of the legislative process. Now, WhatsApp (owned by Meta) says that it would refuse to remove its end-to-end encryption if it’s ordered to comply with the new regulations. 

End-to-end encryption ensures that only the user and the person they are communicating with can read or listen to what is sent, and nobody in between, not even Meta's Facebook, can gain access to this content. However, the government, and some child-protection charities, argue that such encryption hinders efforts to combat the growing problem of online child abuse.

Both WhatsApp and Signal are taking a stand against the British government's attempts to weaken the encryption of services like theirs. It's said that the government's aim is to help weed out child abuse material that is sent via the services, but it would also make them less private for everyone else at the same time. 

The head of WhatsApp at Meta, Will Cathcart, has said the company would prefer leave the UK than to be blocked with the UK Online Safety Bill that would undermine its encrypted-messaging system.

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging platform in the UK, used by more than seven in 10 adults who are online, according to communication regulator, Ofcom. However, the UK government’s Online Safety Bill contains a clause that requires technology companies providing end-to-end encrypted messaging to scan for child sex abuse material, which would require them to use client-side scanning and check the contents of messages before they were encrypted. This would require WhatsApp to remove end-to-end encryption from its product. 

Signal has also  said it could stop providing services in the UK if the bill required it to scan messages and  its President, Meredith Whittaker, said that the company would be pushing back in an attempt to protect its own encryption from governmental meddling. 

If WhatsApp refused to comply, it would either have to pull out of the UK market or have its parent company Meta face fines of up to 4% of its annual turnover.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) says research shows grooming and child-abuse-image crimes recorded in the UK have significantly increased.  The NSPCC believes that encryption doesn't necessarily mean getting in the way of privacy, however.

The charity's Richard Collard added that "experts have demonstrated that it's possible to tackle child-abuse material and grooming in end-to-end encrypted environments. "The government, for its part, says that its Online Safety Bill "does not represent a ban on end-to-end encryption." Others have argued that the bill could open the door to mass surveillance of UK citizens.

Parliament:     BBC:    Computer World:    WION:   Proactive Investors:    Macruomors:     Pocket-Lint:

You Might Also Read:

European Union Has Rules On Illegal Online Content:

___________________________________________________________________________________________

If you like this website and use the comprehensive 6,500-plus service supplier Directory, you can get unrestricted access, including the exclusive in-depth Directors Report series, by signing up for a Premium Subscription.

  • Individual £5 per month or £50 per year. Sign Up
  • Multi-User, Corporate & Library Accounts Available on Request

Cyber Security Intelligence: Captured Organised & Accessible


 

« Turning The Tables On Tomorrow's Threat Agent 
Britain's New Security Agency To Counter Chinese Hacking  »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Check Point

Directory of Suppliers

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

The PC Support Group

The PC Support Group

A partnership with The PC Support Group delivers improved productivity, reduced costs and protects your business through exceptional IT, telecoms and cybersecurity services.

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC (formerly Reciprocity) is a leader in the GRC SaaS landscape, offering robust and intuitive products designed to make compliance straightforward and efficient.

MIRACL

MIRACL

MIRACL provides the world’s only single step Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which can replace passwords on 100% of mobiles, desktops or even Smart TVs.

Astra Security

Astra Security

Astra's website security solution provides real-time protection against malware, hackers, SQLi, XSS, DDoS, LFI and RFI.

Chubb

Chubb

Chubb is the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurer. Commercial services include Cyber Risk insurance.

ManTech International

ManTech International

ManTech provides comprehensive, integrated cyber security support, which includes computer and network design, implementation, and operations.

European Society of Criminology (ESC)

European Society of Criminology (ESC)

The ESC Working Group on Cybercrime is focused on cybercrime, its causes and offenders, impact on victims, and our response to it at the individual, corporate, and governmental levels.

IT Search

IT Search

IT Search is a specialist IT recruitment company focusing on Cyber Security, IT Infrastructure, Software, Data, Digital Transformation and C Suite leadership positions.

Quantifind

Quantifind

Quantifind enables financial crimes/fraud analysts and investigators to make better decisions, faster, with intelligent automation.

Stairwell

Stairwell

Stairwell is building a new approach to cybersecurity around a vision that all security teams should be able to determine what’s good, what’s bad, and why.

Predatech

Predatech

A cyber security consultancy offering a range of services, including CREST accredited penetration testing, vulnerability assessments and certifications incl. Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus.

PKI Solutions

PKI Solutions

PKI Solutions offers Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) products, services, and training to help ensure the security of organizations now and in the future.

HiSolutions

HiSolutions

HiSolutions is a renowned consulting firms for IT governance, risk & compliance in Germany, combining highly specialized know-how in the field with profound process competence.

6WIND

6WIND

6WIND deliver virtualized, cloud-native, distributed high performance & secure networking software solutions to support new applications such as 5G, IoT, SD-WAN.

Port443

Port443

Port443 specialises in providing Security Orchestration, Automation and Remediation (SOAR) "as a service".

Entitle

Entitle

Entitle's SaaS-based platform automates how permissions are managed, enabling organizations to eliminate bottlenecks and implement robust cloud least privilege access.

Reveald

Reveald

Reveald is making Exposure Management a reality to solve the biggest challenges in cybersecurity with a trailblazing ‘offense to defense’ approach that gives the advantage back to the business.

Infrassist Technologies

Infrassist Technologies

We're Infrassist - a trusted white label Managed IT & Professional Services partner for MSP businesses.

CR Group

CR Group

CR Group is a Swedish-owned, cyber-security company oriented towards the European market. We offer solutions for vital societal functions that are both easy-to-buy and easy-to-use.