LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) – British know-how minister Michelle Donelan defended plans to require messaging apps to present access to encrypted personal messages when wanted to protect children from abuse, which main platforms say would undermine the privateness of their customers.
Donelan informed the BBC that the federal government was not in opposition to encryption, and the access would solely be requested as a final resort, underneath Britain’s Online Safety Bill which is predicted to turn out to be regulation later this yr.
“I, like you, want my privacy because I don’t want people reading my private messages. They’d be very bored but I don’t want them to do it,” stated Donelan, minister for science, innovation and know-how.
“However, we do know that on some of these platforms, they are hotbeds sometimes for child abuse and sexual exploitation. And we have to be able access that information should that problem occur.”
Meta-owned (META.O) WhatsApp, Signal and different messaging apps have opposed the plan, arguing that the regulation may give an “unelected official the power to weaken the privacy of billions of people around the world”.
The dispute is a part of a wider debate between giant tech firms, which say they’re defending free speech, and governments which say they’re defending residents from dangerous content material on-line.
Donelan stated the accountability lay with tech firms to spend money on know-how to protect children.
“Technology is in development to enable you to have encryption as well as to be able to access this particular information,” she stated.
“The safety mechanism that we have is very explicit that this (access) can only be used for child exploitation and abuse.”
Reporting by Muvija M
Editing by Paul Sandle and Peter Graff
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
