By Andrew Parsons, Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson
WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging service providers have signed an open letter to oppose the Online Safety Bill ahead of its final reading in the House of Lords. This article explains the journey of the Bill so far and why WhatsApp and other organisations are opposing the proposed legislation…
The UK Online Safety Bill explained
The UK Online Safety Bill, which aims to increase user safety of the internet, has already experienced delays having been subject to four Prime Ministers since it was first proposed. It has also been criticized for axing its provision which would have forced big technology platforms to take down legal but harmful material.
The latest affront on the Bill’s progress is an open letter signed by WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging service providers calling the UK Government to ‘urgently rethink’ the proposed law. The open letter, which was addressed to ‘anyone who cares about safety and privacy on the internet’ was also signed by messaging services including Signal, Element, Session, Threema, Viber, and Wire.
Why is WhatsApp opposing the Online Safety Bill?
Prior to the Bill being escalated to the House of Lords, WhatsApp has openly said it would refuse to comply with it, citing the proposed plan as ‘the most concerning piece of legislation currently being discussed in the western world.’.
Leaders of the messaging services are asking the UK Government to rethink and to align the Bill with its stated intention to protect privacy rights. Currently, no one can access these encrypted messages apart from the sender and the recipient of those messages. Not even WhatsApp can see them. The only way the UK Government could get access to the messages would be to get hold of the sender or recipients’ device, which is not easy and means tipping off the user that their messages are being monitored by security services.
To get around this, the messaging service would need to have a ‘master-key’ allowing them to bypass the messages encryption. If this was introduced, it would pose greater security and privacy risks for the messaging services. Currently, messaging services have limited security risks as they do not know the content of the messages. Recent polling by YouGov, commissioned by the NSPCC also shows overwhelming public support for tougher measures to enforce children’s safety online.
Why do some organisations support greater monitoring of encrypted messages?
Those in support of the Bill claim it will put new duty of care obligations on companies to keep users safe. The advancement of technology and increase in online crime including cybersecurity attacks, trolling and abuse on social media and the risks to vulnerable groups including children have rightly worried many people and organizations who want to see greater regulation of this space. Recent polling by YouGov, commissioned by the NSPCC also shows overwhelming public support for tougher measures to enforce children’s safety online. This feeling extends to organized crime, where encrypted messaging offers a haven for illicit activity which is currently inaccessible to law enforcement.
Regardless of where you stand on this debate, the Online Safety Bill appears to contradict the Government’s’ goal to make the UK a technology powerhouse which most assume would need a lighter touch on regulation. Imposing such regulatory requirements on tech companies could lead to their exit from the UK market altogether. The Government has not yet clarified how it plans to resolve this apparent contradiction. Our team will continue to closely monitor the developments and what the implications will be for clients.
