“If implemented as written, [this bill] could empower Ofcom to try to force the proactive scanning of private messages on end-to-end encrypted communication services — nullifying the purpose of end-to-end encryption as a result and compromising the privacy of all users,” says an open letter signed by the heads of seven secure messaging apps including WhatsApp and Signal.
The government has insisted that the bill’s rules are necessary for catching criminals. “We support strong encryption but it cannot come at the expense of protecting the public. End-to-end encryption cannot be allowed to hamper efforts to catch perpetrators of the most serious crimes,” a government spokespersonAs of this writing, the Online Safety Bill is working its way through the UK’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, with the expectation that it’ll be passed at some point this summer.