UK Government Readies Anti-Encryption Publicity Campaign to ‘Keep Children Safe’ Online

This article has been indexed from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors – Front Page

The British Government is reportedly preparing a publicity attack on end-to-end encryption in an effort to mobilize public opinion against the technology by framing it as a child safety issue, with its main aim being to derail Facebook’s plan to end-to-end encrypt its Messenger platform.

According to documents reviewed by Rolling Stone, one the activities considered as part of the publicity offensive is a striking stunt — placing an adult and child (both actors) in a glass box, with the adult looking “knowingly” at the child as the glass fades to black. Multiple sources confirmed the campaign was due to start this month, with privacy groups already planning a counter-campaign.

The anti-encryption stance from the UK government isn’t new, but its latest effort is focused on the argument that improved encryption would hamper efforts to tackle child exploitation online. “We have engaged M&C Saatchi to bring together the many organizations who share our concerns about the impact end-to-end encryption would have on our ability to keep children safe,” a Home Office spokesperson told Rolling Stone.

In a presentation produced by the UK government to recruit potential not-for-profit coalition partners, one slide notes that “most of the public have never heard” of end-to-end encryption, which means “people can be easily swayed” on the issue. Tellingly, the slide also notes that the campaign “must not start a privacy vs safety debate.”

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