The UK’s Online Safety Bill is now law, bringing with it the prospect of tech firms being forced to scan people’s messages – ostensibly for child abuse content. That means breaking so-called ‘end-to-end encryption’, which experts have repeatedly said cannot be done without seriously endangering user security.
The government pushed ahead with the bill, now the Online Safety Act 2023, despite clear warnings from academics, industry chiefs and campaigners, fumbling when asked to explain how the plans would actually work. It’s now down to Ofcom, the regulator tasked with enforcing the law, to assess if it can work at all.
The parliamentary committee on national security strategy warned only yesterday that poor planning has left the UK vulnerable to crippling cyber-attacks.
