Despite worldwide success as a trusted messaging application, WhatsApp is worried about the effects of the UK’s Online Safety Bill (OSB) on its users’ privacy. An open letter with signatories from other encrypted messaging apps such as Session, Signal, Element, Threema, Viber and Wire, pleaded for the UK government to “urgently rethink” the OSB as it poses a serious threat to online privacy protections provided by end-to-end encryption services.
WhatsApp argues that the proposed bill, if passed, might lead to “mass surveillance” of its users’ content, which was made with the intention to combat online child abuse. Furthermore, they believe the bill will weaken encryption, undermine privacy, and might even embolden hostile governments that wish to pass a similar law to undermine their citizens’ freedom.
The UK government, however, says that online privacy and safety of children don’t need to be two exclusive ideas. A government official stated that firms have a “moral duty” to ensure that child abuse content isn’t overlooked and pointed out that “this content is at unprecedented levels” on messaging platforms like WhatsApp. They believe technology firms can “secure strong encryption” while still protecting public safety and promoting cybersecurity.
The letter wrote to the government aims to challenge this assumption and argue that it’s not reasonable to expect people to surrender their privacy while using encrypted messaging apps. “Weakening encryption, undermining privacy and introducing the mass surveillance of people’s private communications is not the way forward”, says the open letter. It warns about the potential for “routine, general and indiscriminate surveillance of personal messages” should the OSB be signed into law.
WhatsApp is a company based in the bay area offering its messaging services worldwide and has become an integral part of communication for many users. It provides an intuitive, secure, and reliable platform for its users, with features such as end-to-end encryption, hidden chats, and more. By signing the open letter, WhatsApp is standing up for its users living in the UK and for other companies and individuals that rely on encrypted services for privacy. Governments across the world should take notice and understand that any form of surveillance on encrypted messaging platforms is a breach of consumer trust and will almost certainly lead to widespread dissent.
