According to the latest information, the UK government is looking to introduce the ‘Online Safety Bill’, which will create regulations for messaging services and this includes Apple’s iMessage. This will scan the content of messages for CSAM and the rest illegal content.
The latest report indicates that the bill also wants the ability to scan end-to-end encryption messages for child abuse and other content. In this matter, Apple is likely to withdraw iMessage and FaceTime in the UK if the bill passes (via 9To5Mac & BBC).
Apple says that such laws would affect users’ security features, which will lead to the closure of Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime services in the UK. Besides Apple, giants like WhatsApp and Signal have opposed this proposal and implied that they might withdraw the services.
The new ‘Online Security Bill’ will be a serious and direct threat to data security and information privacy which would affect people outside the UK.
iPhone maker has once again requested the government to recheck the bill to protect strong end-to-end encryption to benefit everyone.
“The UK government police on the other hand have said that the end-to-end encryption prevents authorises and the firm themselves from identifying child abuse material. The government had previously stated that tech companies have a moral duty to ensure that they are not blinding themselves and law enforcement to the unprecedented level of child abuse on their platform.”
Apple says:
- It would not make changes to security features specifically for one country that would weaken a product for all users.
- Some changes would require issuing a software update so could not be made secretly.
- The proposals “constitute a serious and direct threat to data security and information privacy” that would affect people outside the UK.
Meanwhile, the Online Safety Bill is under an eight-week consultation period.