Technology companies have renewed their attack on proposed laws that would force them to identify child sexual abuse in encrypted messages.
The bosses of WhatsApp and its rival Signal have co-signed an open letter warning that the plans, contained in the Online Safety Bill, will open the door to “indiscriminate surveillance”.
The bill would give the regulator, Ofcom, the power to order companies to use technology to identify illegal material on encrypted services.
The technology has not been stipulated, however, and the companies argue that there is no way to break encryption while retaining privacy. Similar online safety legislation in Europe defends encryption for messaging services. The government says the order would be used only in “appropriate and limited circumstances”.
End-to-end encryption, which is used
