PROTECTING CHILDREN IS A VITAL THING WE MUST ALL DO
I just wanted to get that out there first. I support any effective move and law that makes that goal a reality. DBS checks on people who will work with children and vulnerable people and education in the community are great steps towards that goal.
Laws that erode privacy in the name of “protecting children”, but which obviously would be used for other purposes as well, are not.
Here is a bill that is being proposed in the United States that is similar in form to the UK Government’s Draft Online Safety Bill. Both are using “child protection” in the promotion of the bills and both threaten to remove secure encrypted communications from all citizens. (The UK bill and articles are at the end of this blog.)
Thoughts on removing end to end encryption (E2EE)
One argument often used when government justifies such laws as these is that law enforcement would be able to easily monitor the communications of paedophiles. I propose the counter argument that if E2EE is removed, these law breakers (and any other law breakers) will no longer use these compromised communication channels. This means the only messages on these channels that law enforcement will monitor belong to law abiding citizens. Back to the law breakers – they will not stop breaking the law because they can no longer have access to these secure communication channels, they will simply use other methods. For paedophiles that would probably mean going back to the 1960s and leaving cryptic messages scrawled on public toilet walls. Do we now ban public toilets?
If law enforcement has reason to believe that people are engaging in child abuse they can use powers they already have to seize the suspects’ phones and computers and carry out digital forensic investigations on them. If they are password protected and encrypted, then with proper evidence, get a judge to rule that the suspects must give up the passwords. This may not be as easy as banning E2EE but it is due process – innocent until proven guilty.
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
Further Reading
Online Safety Bill articles (Smart Thinking Solutions)
Online Safety Bill publications – Parliamentary Bills – UK Parliament
Draft Online Safety Bill (Joint Committee) – Summary – Committees – UK Parliament
Draft Online Safety Bill – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Smart Thinking Solutions supports this UK Government initiative:
Let’s stop abuse together – Stop Abuse Together (campaign.gov.uk)
