Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

WhatsApp, Signal and encrypted messaging apps unite against Online Safety Bill

WhatsApp, Signal and encrypted messaging apps unite against Online Safety Bill

Signal and Meta-owned WhatsApp have previously warned they would sooner see British users stopped from using their services than risk compromising their privacy. But child safety campaigners and charities have claimed that private messaging is the "frontline of online child sexual abuse".
WhatsApp, Signal, and a number of other encrypted messaging services have signed an open letter opposing the Online Safety Bill.

The platforms say the government's flagship internet safety legislation could undermine end-to-end encryption, which ensures nobody other than the sender and intended recipient of a message can read it.

Signal and WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, have previously warned they would sooner see British users stopped from using their services than risk compromising their privacy.

The government has insisted it would not outlaw end-to-end encryption, insisting it will retain privacy while protecting children's safety online, and charities including the NSPCC support it.

But UK-based messaging platform Element, used by the likes of the Ministry of Defence, US Marine Corps, and Ukraine's armed forces, claimed the bill was "outright dangerous" and would weaken national security.

Element's chief executive Matthew Hodgson said: "The UK wants its own special access into end-to-end encrypted systems.

"Bad actors don't play by the rules. Rogue nation states, terrorists, and criminals will target that access with every resource they have."

Mr Hodgson added: "It's a shock to see the UK, a country that symbolises democracy and freedom, introducing routine mass surveillance and fundamentally undermining encryption.

"Bad actors will simply continue to use existing unregulated apps - and good actors using compliant apps will have their privacy undermined."

Who backs the Online Safety Bill?

Despite privacy concerns, the long-delayed bill is backed by child safety campaigners, with the NSPCC describing private messaging as the "frontline of online child sexual abuse".

Surveys suggest it also has the support of large numbers of British adults.

The wide-ranging legislation aims to regulate internet content to keep people safe, and would give media regulator Ofcom the power to demand that platforms identify and remove child abuse content.

Refusing to comply could see companies face huge fines.

What happens next?

The letter from messaging platforms comes ahead of the bill's final reading in the House of Lords on Wednesday.

It's almost two years since it was first published in draft form, when it began its long journey through parliament.

After several delays due to the concerns of tech companies, which fear the bill is too far-reaching and unclear about what they will be required to censor, it made its return to parliament late last year and has cross-party support.

Some MPs, though, have said it could impact freedom of expression.

Tory backbencher David Davis has proposed an amendment to the bill to remove powers to monitor people's private encrypted messages.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×