Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce measures in the Online Safety Bill aimed at preventing the use of of end-to-end encryption in online private messaging.

The UK supports the responsible use of strong encryption, as the safety and security of digital technologies is essential. However, if end-to-end encryption is implemented in a way which intentionally blinds tech companies to content on their platforms it can have a disastrous impact on public safety.

All parts of regulated platforms, including instant messaging services and closed social media groups, are in scope of the Online Safety Bill. Companies cannot use encryption as an excuse to avoid protecting their users, particularly children, and those companies who implement end-to-end encryption will need to demonstrate how they are managing risk to their users, or face big fines. Ofcom will set out the measures platforms need to implement in codes of practice, and could include making these channels safer by design, for example by limiting the ability for anonymous adults to contact children.

More widely, the Government has launched a £555,000 Safety Tech Challenge Fund, which is focused on developing innovative technologies to detect child sexual abuse content in end-to-end encrypted environments, whilst respecting user privacy.