The head of Meta’s chat app states that they will not adhere to the conditions outlined in the online safety bill
During his UK visit to meet with lawmakers and discuss government internet regulation, Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp at Meta, stated that the online safety bill, which aims to prohibit end-to-end encryption, is the most worrying legislation under discussion in the western world. Cathcart also confirmed that WhatsApp would not comply with any requirements in the bill, raising questions about the future of the service in the UK.
Since WhatsApp is unable to access messages sent through its platform, it is unable to fulfill requests from law enforcement to provide access to messages or monitor communications for reasons such as child protection or anti-terrorism measures. The UK government already possesses the ability to require encryption removal under the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act, though WhatsApp has never received such a request. Will Cathcart noted that the online safety bill poses a worrying expansion of that authority due to the vagueness in the legislation.
If the online safety bill were to become law, it would grant the government or Ofcom the power to mandate that WhatsApp enforce content moderation policies that could only be achieved by eliminating end-to-end encryption. Should WhatsApp decline to follow these mandates, they could face fines up to 4% of Meta’s annual revenue, or withdraw from the UK market entirely.
Will Cathcart pointed out that other regions have comparable legislation, like the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which expressly protects end-to-end encryption for messaging services. He urged for comparable phrasing to be added to the UK bill before it is approved. Cathcart proposed that the language should underscore the importance of privacy and security within the framework and state explicitly that end-to-end encryption should not be removed. Additionally, he suggested that more procedural safeguards be put in place to prevent such decisions from being made unilaterally.
Although WhatsApp is predominantly recognized as a messaging application, it also provides social networking-style characteristics via its “communities” feature. This feature enables over a thousand users to participate in group chats that simulate services like Slack and Discord, and are also end-to-end encrypted. However, Cathcart suggested that the risk of a significant community causing issues is low. He explained that when you have a group of that magnitude, it is simple for a single individual to report any misconduct, and if there is a severe problem, it is effortless for investigators to gain access to it.
Although WhatsApp officially mandates that UK users must be at least 16 years old, Will Cathcart chose not to advise parents regarding the deletion of their children’s accounts on the platform. Instead, he suggested that it is crucial for parents to make informed decisions.
It is anticipated that the online safety bill will be reintroduced to parliament later this summer. If approved, Ofcom, as the internet regulator, will gain substantial new authority and be able to enforce efficient content moderation through substantial fines.
