UK urges Meta to prioritize child safety over end-to-end encryption for Messenger, Insta

Following the passage of the Online Safety Bill in parliament, the British government has urged Meta not to implement end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger without adequate safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse. While Meta already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, their plan to extend end-to-end encryption to Messenger and Instagram direct messages has raised concerns. Britain’s Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, expressed support for strong encryption for online users but emphasized that it should not come at the expense of children’s safety. She stated that Meta had not provided sufficient assurances that they would keep their platforms safe from abusers, urging them to develop appropriate safeguards alongside their encryption plans. A spokesperson from Meta responded, highlighting that the majority of Britons already rely on encrypted apps to protect them from various online threats. They emphasized that Meta has spent the past five years developing robust safety measures to prevent, detect, and combat abuse while maintaining online security. The company also mentioned that it would provide updates on the measures it was implementing, such as restricting communication between adults and teenagers who don’t follow each other and using technology to identify and address malicious behaviour. As they move forward with end-to-end encryption, Meta stated their commitment to continuing to provide more reports to law enforcement than their industry peers, emphasizing their dedication to ensuring user safety. The Online Safety Bill, which was passed by parliament, imposes stricter requirements on social media platforms to protect children from harmful content. End-to-end encryption remains a contentious issue between tech companies and the government under the new law. Messaging platforms like WhatsApp oppose provisions that they argue could compel them to break end-to-end encryption. The government has clarified that the bill does not ban end-to-end encryption but instead requires companies to take action to prevent child abuse and, as a last resort, develop technology to scan encrypted messages. Tech companies have expressed concerns that scanning messages and implementing end-to-end encryption are fundamentally incompatible.