UK users may soon find themselves looking outside when it comes to WhatsApp.
Will Cathcart, head of Meta’s popular messaging app, said WhatsApp would refuse to comply with the UK government’s proposed online safety bill. according to Guardian(opens in new tab).
If you pass According to lexology(opens in new tab)online platforms are held responsible for exposing certain types of abuse, including child sexual abuse, cyberbullying, extreme sexual violence, fraud, hate speech, incitement to violence, and revenge pornography. The form should be deleted.
Australia’s new online safety law could force social platforms to remove abusive posts
As a result, the UK’s Office of Telecommunications (Ofcom) will be given enforcement powers. Critics say these include the power of private encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp to “employ ‘certified technology’ to identify and remove child abuse material.” . According to the BBC(opens in new tab).
If this happened, Cathcart told The Guardian that WhatsApp would refuse to comply as it would force end-to-end encryption to stop.
“98% of our users are outside the UK,” says Cathcart. “They don’t want us to de-secure the product and choosing to de-secure the product in a way that affects 98% of our users is a strange choice for us. “
WhatsApp is the UK’s most popular messaging app, with more than 7 in 10 adults using it, the BBC reports, citing Ofcom.
The signal is also noisy and not UK compliant
Officials at another messaging app, Signal, have previously said they would not respond to the UK government if the Online Safety Bill is passed, according to a BBC report.
The bill is expected to be submitted to parliament in the summer. Guardian report.
