LONDON (Reuters) – Britain has called on Meta to implement safety measures to protect children from sexual abuse before rolling out end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger, following the passing of the Online Safety Bill by parliament.
Meta, which already encrypts messages on WhatsApp, intends to introduce end-to-end encryption across Messenger and Instagram direct messages, citing improved safety and security from the technology.
Suella Braverman, Britain’s Home Secretary, expressed support for strong encryption for online users, but stressed that it should not compromise children’s safety.
“Meta has not given assurances that their platforms will be protected from abhorrent abusers,” she said. “They must develop appropriate safeguards alongside their plans for end-to-end encryption.”
A spokesperson for Meta stated, “The majority of Brits already depend on encrypted apps for protection against hackers, fraudsters, and criminals.”
“We believe people do not want their private messages to be read, which is why we have worked for the past five years to implement robust safety measures that combat abuse while ensuring online security,” the spokesperson added.
Meta will provide an update on the measures it is taking, such as restricting messaging between individuals over the age of 19 and teenagers who do not follow each other, as well as utilizing technology to identify and take action against malicious behavior.
“As we introduce end-to-end encryption, we anticipate providing more reports to law enforcement than our peers due to our leading efforts in prioritizing people’s safety,” the spokesperson explained.
The Online Safety Bill, passed by parliament on Tuesday, will impose stricter requirements on social media platforms to shield children from harmful content.
End-to-end encryption remains a contentious issue between tech companies and the government under the new law.
Messaging platforms, led by WhatsApp, oppose a provision they claim could compel them to undermine end-to-end encryption.
However, the government has emphasized that the bill does not prohibit the technology, but instead demands that companies take action to prevent child abuse and, as a last resort, develop technology for scanning encrypted messages.
Tech companies argue that message scanning and end-to-end encryption are fundamentally incompatible.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
Credit: The Star : Tech Feed
