The UK government has amended the Online Safety Bill to include powers that would allow regulator Ofcom to force tech companies to scan encrypted messages for child abuse images. However, tech companies such as Signal, WhatsApp and Apple have opposed the powers due to privacy concerns. In response to these concerns, the government has added an amendment that requires a report to be written before the powers are used. Campaigners argue that this safeguard is not enough to protect privacy. The bill is currently in the later stages of its journey through Parliament.
Commenting on the debate in the House of Lords on Wednesday, the Open Rights Group said it was disappointed that Peers had failed to protect the privacy of the 40 million British people who use private chat services.
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