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

[TheOldChevy]

for US friends who aren't familiar with UK politics, it might help to know that

• our prime minister is like a "mini trump"
• our governing party has turned into an extremist cult, like the "space lasers" GOP

Is it really that bad ?

 

[DrV]

Can we get a list of which messaging apps these politicians use? I'm guessing they all use apps with E2E.

I really, really hope so. Top politicians not using E2E sounds very scary. Unless, of course, you work for some foreign three-symbol acronym agency, in which case that sounds very good.

 

[joiwomcow]

You know what would shut them right up?
"Somebody" releasing the unencrypted list of everyone who attended the Number 10 parties during the Covid lockdowns.
And some unencrypted, corroborating photos along with it.
Just sayin'.... Facebook?

 

[Mousse]

Investigations of child abuses/CSAM access should be conducted to those preparing/supporting this campaign.

Wait wut?? Physican heal thyself??‍? But I can see the sawdust in your eye perfectly fine, despite the plank that is within mine.?

All the clamouring for ending encryption is to make it easier for law enforcement. Well, instead of making the job easier, law enforcement should get better at their job. Just like gym trainer I met told me once, "Life doesn't get easier, you get better at dealing with what life throws at you."? What a guy.

 

[DrV]

E2E first. Maybe VPN next? If I send a letter in the UK, should I leave the envelope open? Banning encryption and communication has been the hallmark of something else than western democracy. (In all fairness, some German politicians have tried to ban Telegram, so it is not only the UK.)

A few lectures in philosophy and modern communications would be quite useful for anyone in politics.

 

[currocj]

The scariest thing the government can ever tell you: We are going to do something to keep you SAFE.

Run for the hills

 

[Naraxus]

I hope people across the Pond tell Parliment to pound sand

 

[trusso]

For government, read also oligarchical business interests.

 

[RadioHedgeFund]

An our classic UK Conservative party. A right wing cult dedicated to a small state, minding its own business and low taxes whilst paradoxically wanting totalitarian control of every aspect of public life.

 

[arkitect]

So you’d rather “stick with the devil you know”? Without any disrespect with the exception of the Iraq war and PFI funding Labour did a hell of a lot better than the more than decade of Tory bliss we’ve had. National Debt? Higher, policing? Worse, NHS? Worse, education? Local school can’t even buy books now as an ‘academy’. Child poverty? Yep up. Tax? Up! The only thing they’ve done better is not poking as many foreign bears with sticks.

Well said! ?

The idea some people have that we can do worse than Boris Johnson and therefore stick with Spaffer and his billionaire buddies is delusional.

Hopefully the voting public will wake up… not holding my breath though…

Tories Out! Out! Out!

Is it really that bad ?

In a word… Yes.

I hope people across the Pond tell Parliment to pound sand

It's not Parliament as such, but the Tory party…
Though to be fair, give Keir Starmer half a chance and he'll go for it.

 

[_Spinn_]

Let's be honest here. This kind of stuff never has anything to do with "protecting the children."

 

[rme]

The current UK government is rotten to its absolute core. It all starts with the Leader and they say turd flows down… There is no opposition either, most of our MPs seem hellbent and desperate to give away the hard won freedoms that previous generations fought and died for. Those men will be turning in their graves…

Throughout this whole Covid drama we’ve had MPs - not to mention other relatively high profile people - flout the rules that they were party to creating, voting for and administering. Some, like Nadhim Zarhawi and Michael Gove specifically, have outright lied saying they had no plans to bring in vaccine passports during interviews, then voting to bring them in. Everyone surely now knows that vaccine passports specifically, are completely and utterly pointless, in that both jabbed and unjabbed can transmit the Covid. Look at the countries with high uptake of the vaccines and their case numbers! Then there is Doris and his parties, not to mention his wife!

This will likely just be another example of one rule for us plebs and another rule for our so-called representatives. As others have pointed out, it’s happened before where these MPs and ministers have used unofficial channels, like WhatsApp, as @GaymerAdam mentioned.

The hypocrisy stinks! The sooner we replace them all, the better.

Who are you going to replace them with? Labour wouldn't do any better once they're in power.

 

[rme]

Dont worry guys, I am SURE they will keep this to children’s devices. I totally trust the government lol..

But you still trust Apple after their u-turn?

 

[VulchR]

So, when Brexit was passed with 37.4% of eligible voters casting their ballots for it, it's 'democracy'! When most people do not want government snooping brought about by abolishing E2E, it's 'we have to change their minds!'. This is the tail wagging the dog.

I am all for the police having powers to search phones/communications with a warrant due to probable cause. I do not support blanket surveillance of our communications available to every fool in the government, including the local dog catcher.

 

[VulchR]

Who are you going to replace them with? Labour wouldn't do any better once they're in power.

Regional parties.

 

[rme]

Regional parties.

Decentralisation of power is what we need yes.

 

[VulchR]

Decentralisation of power is what we need yes.

Also, hopefully regional parties would be pragmatic rather than married to a particular politcal dogma that biases their processing of information.

 

[rme]

Regional parties.

Curious why you support ever more centralisation of power (the EU's mission) on a European level.

 

[BaracksPhallusPalace]

Think of the children! /s

 

[makitango]

Just waiting for the next one to cheer with the kids flag to sell me cancer.

 

[ColdShadow]

shameless lies to destroy people’s privacy..

 

[ComRadMac]

Apparently I have a very different idea of what the word "striking" means.

 

[laptech]

Noble, wonderful goal to work towards: protecting our children. However, it feels largely disingenuous when governments won't do the very basic things to protect children (or citizens/legal residents of any age) when it doesn't support their stakeholders' agenda but suddenly, when it supports the needs of a surveillance state, protecting children suddenly becomes the most important and noble goal.

If the UK (or any other developed nation's government) truly cared "about the children" and their exploitation, we could start with showing that concern for starving, hungry, marginalized children struggling to grow due to malnutrition both in the UK and abroad, the endless wars whose victims are children unable to eat, get an education, or be left parentless because of drone strikes on entire villages that have killed innocents every day.

But, suddenly, instead, we're supposed to believe that giving the Home Office authority to review every message "for the children's safety" is actually the agenda?

Nah, not buying it.

The flaw in your logic is that the UK is not responsible for the safety and welfare for every child in the whole wide world, individual countries must be forced to take responsible action to protect their countries children and if they do not then the UN should intervene or NATO.

In this matter the UK should only look to be protecting it's own children.

 

[rp100]

The problem is not end-to-end encryption: it’s a combination of power-hungry politicians and parents who abdicate their responsibilities as the provider, teacher, protector, and disciplinarian of their own children. Parenting is simultaneously an overwhelming, frustrating, and fulfilling experience that is paved with successes, mistakes, apologies, and emotions. As a parent, you live in a seemingly arbitrary and unfair world where numerous outside forces are constantly seeking influence and power over your life, your rights, and your ability to do the best you can for your children. And if that wasn’t enough, those same forces understand the malleability of your children's minds and want unrestricted access to implant any idea without your knowledge or approval. This is the same story for ALL parents of every tribe, race, tongue, creed, or religion. And statements like “he learned that at school” or “she saw that on Instagram” are a testament to the perpetual struggle.

Which leads me to the question: why does the government need unrestricted monitoring of your communications? Is it really “for the kids”? If that’s the case, what is being said and communicated to parents so they can succeed in raising their children? The messaging I’m hearing doesn’t revolve around strengthening that parent/child relationship. Instead, the message is,“we don’t trust you or your kids, so we’re granting ourselves unlimited access to all of your electronic communication.”

 

[Shirasaki]

Ridiculous, you can't ban maths.

iCloud Relay is looking better and better every day

And apple disable icloud relay in UK to “comply with local laws”.