April 19, 2023
WhatsApp and Signal are two of seven encrypted messaging apps that may be forced to leave the United Kingdom (U.K.) if the government passes the Online Safety Bill.
They claim that the measure will render end-to-end encryption illegal, destroying their encryption systems and risking all users’ secrecy and safety. WhatsApp Signal warned that the bill would mean that users would no longer be protected by end-to-end encryption, which ensures that only the intended recipient can read messages transmitted to them.
The CEOs of Signal and WhatsApp, as well as five other encrypted chat applications, voiced their fear in an open letter that the law might allow the U.K.’s communications regulator, Ofcom, to require proactive scanning of private conversations on end-to-end encrypted communication services. They said that doing so would defeat the goal of end-to-end encryption and jeopardize the privacy of all users. They went on to say that the law poses an unprecedented threat to the privacy, safety, and security of every UK resident and every person on the planet.
Will Cathcart, the CEO of WhatsApp, previously told The Guardian that his firm would sooner leave the UK than comply with the bill. Signal President Meredith Whittaker also stated that if the measure became law, the group “would absolutely, 100% walk.” End-to-end encryption is provided by both applications, which means that only conversation participants may decipher message content.
The sources for this piece include an article in Gizmodo.
