Technology groups have called on ministers to clarify the scope of the proposed powers, fearing the UK government could step in and block the rollout of new privacy features for messaging apps. ing. FT: The Investigatory Powers Amendment Bill, set out in Tuesday’s King’s Speech, will require companies to notify the Home Office in advance of any security or privacy features they wish to add to their platforms, including encryption. The government currently has the power to compel telecom companies and messaging platforms to provide data and cooperate with criminal investigations on national security grounds.
The new bill aims to “realign” the powers of multinational technology companies to respond to the risks to public safety posed by rolling out new services that “prevent lawful access to data” said the government. But Meredith Whittaker, president of private messaging group Signal, said she feared the new bill would give ministers and officials the ability to veto new safety features. He called on ministers to provide more clarity on what he called “belligerent” proposals. . “We need to see the details, but what has been described suggests an alarming level of overreach by a technologically deranged government that will ensure that no service, home or foreign, is allowed to operate in the UK. It would make it almost impossible to operate with integrity,” she said. Financial Times.
