The head of Meta - have WhatsApp says it would rather be blocked in the United Kingdom than abide by a proposed fresh law demand the app to break its security measures .
The UK ’s pending Online Safety Bill could need the message apps and social media companies to drop end - to - final stage encoding and scan messages to sight and move out child - abuse material .
However , Will Cathcart said any such move would have privacy ramifications for all users in the UK and thus is defy to countenance such a change . If take to under UK jurisprudence , WhatsApp would not compromise its principals and accept it could no longer operate in the UK .
“ Our user all around the globe desire security – 98 % of our users are outside the UK , they do not want us to depress the security of the mathematical product , ” he said . And the app would rather accept being blocked in the UK , ” Cathcart say ( viaBBC ) . “ We ’ve late been blocked in Iran , for example . We ’ve never seen a liberal majority rule do that . ”
The vow from WhatsApp comes after rival app Signal ’s title it would “ absolutely , 100 % walk ” out on the UK should the Online Safety Bill become law . Cathcart says the requirements would be unbefitting of a free majority rule . He call back the UK adopt such measure would set a bad example to other , more authoritatian nations around the world .
“ We wo n’t take down the security of WhatsApp . We have never done that – and we have accepted being blocked in other parts of the domain , ” he added .
“ When a liberal commonwealth says , ‘ Is it fine to scan everyone ’s secret communicating for illegal subject ? ’ that emboldens rural area around the world that have very different definition of illegal content to propose the same affair . ”
The battle between safety for the vulnerable and surety for the spate does n’t have a perfect result , but one needs to be notice .
