The British governments promise to protect encryption has been pilloried by security experts and libertarians.
The dispute stems from a section of theOnline Safety Bill.
Proponents say the measures will combat child abuse, but critics are aghast about the threat to privacy.
They fear the plans will facilitatemass surveillance and damage the UKs tech sector.
Signal,Whatsapp, and five other messaging apps have allthreatenedto leave the country if the law is passed.
The British government has sought to allay their concerns.
On Thursday,technology ministerMichelle Donelan said the government isnot anti-encryption and will protect userprivacy.
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No technology exists which allows encryption AND access to this particular information.
Detecting illegal content means ALL content must be scanned in the first place, he said.
In response to these concerns, the governments cybersecurity chiefs argue they can protect both children and privacy.
To do this, they propose using client-side scanning, which involves installing software that detects suspicious activity.
Many experts, however,arguethat this tech is impossible to build.
You cannot turn scanning on and off, Hodgson said.
The government still does not understand how technology or encryption works, despite numerous experts explaining this to them.
Its own Safety Tech Challenge Fund failed to deliver an impossible solution to scan messages without breaking encryption.
What more will it take for the government to finally accept how encryption works?
Its a contradiction in terms.
These arguments, however, have struggled to convince the general public.
According to arecentYouGov survey, there is strong support for the governments plans.
The NSPCC which commissioned the research said the critics areout of step with the public on the issue.
Defenders of encryption are running out of time to win more hearts and minds.
The Online Safety Bill is expected to become law later this autumn.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
