Michelle Donelan called the Internet Safety Bill a “victory.” for parents. Photo: John Lawrence.
Last week, Apple echoed those concerns, saying the bill posed a serious threat to the privacy afforded by encryption and calling for an amendment to the law.
Sexton talks about the debate. has become “very useless and very frustrating.”
“We worry that at some point these kids might just say, 'Well, there's no point in reporting this,'” he says.
An IWF engineer claims tech companies are capable of stopping the spread of abuse, arguing that they are already running some checks on encrypted messaging apps for viruses and rogue links.
WhatsApp insists these checks are very different from tools that scan images and videos, and no data is sent to third-party servers or shared with law enforcement.
“The vast majority of Britons already rely on encrypted apps to protect themselves from hackers, scammers and criminals,” says a Meta spokesperson.
“We don’t think people want us to read their private messages , therefore, have developed security measures that prevent, detect and allow us to take action against this heinous violence while maintaining online privacy and security.”
Apple and Meta are members of the IWF and have each done a donation for a group, just like Amazon, Google and TikTok. Sexton says the foundation is committed to “supporting all these companies in their search for a solution.”
However, the IWF and many of its sponsors seem to be increasingly divided over encryption.
< p>“It allows kids,” says Sexton.
“They're directly asking these platforms, 'Please stop sharing this image.' And they can do it.
“It's just a false choice to say that someone's privacy is more important than the dignity of these children and their privacy.”
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