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With the way the law is going the UK could demand that Tech providers provide backdoors into end-to-end encryption. The providers can refuse. The UK can then

With the way the law is going the UK could demand that Tech providers provide backdoors into end-to-end encryption. The providers can refuse. The UK can then demand that such apps are not available in the UK. HOWEVER ... the providers can build WASM equivalents that run in the phones browser. These can be available elsewhere in the world, and there is no way to stop UK residents from installing them. If there is no other way to have end-to-end encrypted messaging, some provider WILL offer this ... and they'll make it pretty slick. You can try prosecute each user (not much chance of success). Legislation that fights well implemented secrecy will always eventually loose, as the government becomes just one more hostile actor, which the tech is already set up to protect against. If the government pushes too hard, all that happens is that encrypted messaging moves out of app stores into the open internet ... and then, not only can they not see the content, they can barely see who is using it.

nonrandomstring 3y ago
> Legislation that fights well implemented secrecy will always eventually loose, as the government becomes just one more hostile actor, which the tech is already set up to protect against. If the government pushes too hard, all that happens is that encrypted messaging moves out of app stores into the open internet ... and then, not only can they not see the content, they can barely see who is using it. This is insightful. The mistake the UK government is making lies in it's naked aggression. It's become sandwiched in hostility toward Big Tech, and the people. And it's a no win situation. It literally wants to get in the middle, and that seems a sign of great fear of losing power in the digital age. Fundamentally our government lack the humility to engage in meaningful, evidence-based, debate with all parties, which would be extremely difficult but necessary. Of course encrypted messaging is already out on the open internet. It's just used for social messaging by a relative minority. The reason governments love (read: awkwardly tolerate) big platforms is they concentrate use, where they hope it can be "kept an eye on". For me this is "Police and thieves in the street, fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition" It's a three way fight in which the most important group - the people - are unarmed, indeed entirely excluded. What we tried to do on https://cybershow.uk https://cybershow.uk is to present some accessible banter that helps the main stakeholders - children and vulnerable people - get a better fix on the issues, and have a voice.

nonrandomstring 3y ago

> Legislation that fights well implemented secrecy will always eventually loose, as the government becomes just one more hostile actor, which the tech is already set up to protect against. If the government pushes too hard, all that happens is that encrypted messaging moves out of app stores into the open internet ... and then, not only can they not see the content, they can barely see who is using it. This is insightful. The mistake the UK government is making lies in it's naked aggression. It's become sandwiched in hostility toward Big Tech, and the people. And it's a no win situation. It literally wants to get in the middle, and that seems a sign of great fear of losing power in the digital age. Fundamentally our government lack the humility to engage in meaningful, evidence-based, debate with all parties, which would be extremely difficult but necessary. Of course encrypted messaging is already out on the open internet. It's just used for social messaging by a relative minority. The reason governments love (read: awkwardly tolerate) big platforms is they concentrate use, where they hope it can be "kept an eye on". For me this is "Police and thieves in the street, fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition" It's a three way fight in which the most important group - the people - are unarmed, indeed entirely excluded. What we tried to do on https://cybershow.uk https://cybershow.uk is to present some accessible banter that helps the main stakeholders - children and vulnerable people - get a better fix on the issues, and have a voice.