April 5, 2021

Britain is planning a new attack on end-to-end encryption, with efforts to stop Facebook from introducing the technology into its messaging apps.

The move comes as Facebook intends to introduce end-to-end encryption across all its messaging platforms, including Messenger and Instagram, sparking a controversial debate in Britain and elsewhere about the risks the technology poses to children.

The government recommends that the upcoming Online Safety Act should require technology companies to share data about child abuse online, effectively preventing platforms from adopting end-to-end encryption until they can demonstrate that they can ensure the safety of children.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel has publicly called on Facebook to stop plans for end-to-end encryption and has also raised the issue in meetings with her counterparts in the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The move has caused concern among many observers, with a Facebook spokesman saying end-to-end encryption is now the leading security technology used by many services to protect people from hackers and the theft of their private information.

But company executives have admitted that the increasing adoption of end-to-end encryption is reducing the number of reports of child abuse to industry watchdogs.

For more information see the original story at Wired.com.