In a shocking move, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, is pressing to have cross-platform messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, iMessage and Snapchat, banned for lack of transparency. The main reason—the messages sent across are scrambled (encrypted) and the government wants to be able to read everything.
If the rule is passed, Britons could see a blackout on their favorite chat applications in a few weeks. The Express UK reported, ‘If the controversial new legislation is passed in the coming weeks all three services could be BANNED in the United Kingdom.’
“In our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people which we cannot read?” explained Prime Minister Cameron earlier this year. "My answer to that question is: 'No, we must not’,” he said.
Presently dubbed as "Snooper's Charter", or the Investigatory Powers Bill, requires all internet service providers, phone companies and technology firms, which include Google, Apple, Facebook and WhatsApp, to keep a record of all activity. This will include all Google searches, Facebook conversations, WhatsApp group messages and SnapChat photos and videos. This will be made available to the UK police and to the government, whenever required.
The requirement comes as an important need since the British police are presently making a request every two minutes (on an average) for details such as texts, emails, phone calls, internet searches and lots more. Express further mentions that ‘the recent spate of terrorist attacks – including the shooting of 27 Britons on a beach in Tunisia – has forced the Conservative government to act fast.’
Since technology is progressing, the government does not want to risk terrorist activity and communication being used on encrypted applications.
However, many have opposed the new law as a breach of privacy.
Executive director of The Open Rights Group Jim Killock said: "The government is signaling that it wants to press ahead with increased powers of data collection and retention for the police and GCHQ – spying on everyone, whether suspected of a crime or not. "This is the return of the ‘Snooper's Charter' even as the ability to collect and retain data gets less and less workable."
Liberty – a group which campaigns for civil liberties and human rights in the UK – added: "We take no issue with the use of intrusive surveillance powers per se – targeted surveillance can play an important part in preventing and detecting serious crime.
"But the current regime just doesn’t provide sufficient safeguards to ensure that such surveillance is conducted lawfully, and in a necessary and proportionate way."
Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg also joined those speaking out against the Conservatives' bill: "We have every right to invade the privacy of terrorists and those we think want to do us harm, but we should not equate that with invading the privacy of every single person in the UK. They are not the same thing.
"The so-called Snoopers’ Charter is not targeted. It’s not proportionate. It’s not harmless. It would be a new and dramatic shift in the relationship between the state and the individual. "People who blithely say they are happy for their communications to be open to scrutiny because they have 'nothing to hide' have failed to grasp something fundamental about open democratic societies: "We do not make ourselves safer by making ourselves less free."
Unite political director Jennie Formby has also argued against Mr Cameron's comments about online privacy. She wrote earlier this month: "Of course, any measures that can genuinely reduce the chance of similar attacks will be supported."But we must also guard against giving uninhibited freedom to the security services to snoop on citizens. “As trade union and Labour movement activists know to their cost, such powers can be grievously misused."
If this law is passed, we shall see a ban of the communication applications in the UK, which will also cut off the citizens from the rest of the world. The only means of communication would be calls, emails and other communication applications that are developed and passed by the UK government body.
If UK passes the bill, the rest of the countries could also possibly opt for the same, forcing the chat applications to open up the encryption, risking the privacy of millions around the world that use the platform.
As Jennie Formby mentions ‘such powers can be grievously misused.’
Will WhatsApp, iMessage, Snapchat be banned? In a few weeks, the decision will be taken by the UK government.
