Why UK Gov’t Wants WhatsApp & Signal To Remove End-To-End Encryption

The British government has passed a new bill called the “Online Safety Bill” and this new bill will require that messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal get rid of an important security feature.

For this reason, WhatsApp, Signal, and other messaging services have written an open letter to the government of Britain.

The letter is an appeal letter that is urging the government to reconsider its new bill. The bill in question is new legislation that allows regulators to ask the platforms to monitor users. According to the UK, this will help avoid or identify child abuse images.

This new bill gives power to the government to force messaging platforms to apply content moderation policies. These policies will allow the platforms to perform client-side scanning. Performing client-side scanning simply means the platforms will have to get rid of end-to-end encryption.

This open letter came with the signatures of leaders of various messaging platforms. It was signed by Element chief executive Matthew Hodgson. Oxen Privacy Tech Foundation and Session director Alex Linton, Signal president Meredith Whittaker. Threema chief executive Martin Blatter, Viber chief executive Ofir Eyal, head of WhatsApp Will Cathcart, and Wire chief technical officer Alan Duric.

All these platforms seem to frown against the government’s decision, but others totally agreed with the new bill. Apple for example thought it as a great idea. In a statement, Apple said, “Children can be protected without companies combing through personal data”.

We will continue working with governments, child advocates, and other companies to help protect young people. Preserve their right to privacy and make the internet a safer place for children and for us all.

For every rule, there is a punishment that comes to those who break it. This new bill is no exemption from that. The bill states that platforms that refuse to apply content moderation policies could face fines. Such fines can amount to 4% of the platform’s total yearly income. Companies like WhatsApp. Signal and Proton have already hinted at pausing encryption in the UK. They have also clarified that they will withdraw from the UK market if the bill forces them to scan users’ content.

The parliamentary sitting on the bill is not yet over. It will return to the UK Parliament in the summer.