The UK is plans a new attack on end-to-end encryption, with Home Office set to lead efforts to discourage Facebook from further launching technology in its messaging applications.
Interior Minister Priti Patel intends to give a keynote speech at a charity event for child protection, focusing on exposing the perceived evils of end-to-end encryption and calling for stricter technology regulation. At the same time, a new report will say that technology companies need to do more to protect children online.
Patel will headline an April 19 roundtable organized by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), according to an invitation project seen by WIRED. The event will be deeply critical of the encryption standard, making it difficult for investigators and technology companies to monitor communications between people and detect childcare or illicit content, including terrorist or abusive images of children.
End-to-end encryption works by securing communications between those involved – only the sender and receiver of the messages can see what they are saying, and the platforms that provide the technology cannot access the content of the messages. Technology has become increasingly standard in recent years with WhatsApp and Signal using end-to-end encryption by default to protect people’s privacy.
The Home Office move comes as Facebook plans to launch end-to-end encryption on all of its messaging platforms – including Messenger and Instagram – which has sparked a heated debate in the UK and elsewhere about the alleged risks to which technology introduces to children.
During the event, the NSPCC will unveil a report on end-to-end encryption by PA Consulting, a UK firm that has advised the UK Department for Digital Culture Media and Sports (DCMS) on future online security regulation . An early draft of the report, seen by WIRED, says that increased use of end-to-end encryption would protect adult privacy to the detriment of child safety and that any strategy adopted by technology companies to mitigate the end-to-end effect of end-to-end encryption ”Will be“ almost certainly less efficient than the current ability to scan harmful content ”.
The report also suggests that the government develop regulations “specifically aimed at encryption” to prevent “engineering” technology companies[ing] away ”their ability to control illegal communications. It recommends that the future online safety law – which will impose a duty of care on online platforms – force technology companies to share data on online child abuse, as opposed to volunteering.
The online security bill is expected to require companies whose services use end-to-end encryption to show how effectively they address the spread of malicious content on their platforms – or risk being fined by Ofcom, who will be responsible for enforcing the rules. Ultimately, Ofcom could require a company to use automated systems to remove illegal content from their services.
NSPCC says this setup does not go far enough in terms of encryption: in a statement released last week, the charity called on digital secretary Oliver Dowden to strengthen the proposed regulation, preventing platforms from going head-to-head. . stop encrypting until they can prove that they can protect the safety of children. Facebook is currently addressing the circulation of child sexual abuse content on WhatsApp by removing accounts that display banned images in their profile pictures or groups whose names suggest illegal activity. WhatsApp says it bans more than 300,000 accounts a month on suspicion of distributing child sexual abuse material.
“Ofcom will have to undergo a series of tests before it can take action on a regulated platform,” said Andy Burrows, head of NSPCC’s online child safety policy. “It’s about being able to ask for evidence of serious and sustained abuse, which will be practically very difficult to do, because end-to-end encryption will eliminate a significant amount of the reporting flow.”