Popular messaging app WhatsApp has announced that it is likely to leave the UK. The platform, which says that encryption will be difficult with the Online Safety Bill adopted by the UK government, may stop its service in the UK.
Are WhatsApp and Signal banned in the UK?
WhatsApp and Signal said that with the new Online Security Act in the UK, end-to-end encryption will be weakened. In response, it was announced that services in the UK could be suspended. The bill in the UK aims to ban end-to-end encryption in the country.
However, WhatsApp and Signal have announced that they will leave the UK if end-to-end encryption is removed. The bill discussed in England was developed to prevent sexual abuse of children. Accordingly, the UK authorities want to scan users’ messages. However, this goes against the nature of end-to-end encryption.
WhatsApp administrator Will Cathcart said that with the bill, end-to-end encryption should not be removed and private messaging should be completely removed from the legislation. The bill, which is being discussed in the United Kingdom, also paves the way for fines for companies.
For example, Meta, which owns WhatsApp, can be fined over 4 percent of its annual income for non-compliance with the law. This situation could turn into a terrible situation for Meta, which had a turnover of 116 billion dollars last year.
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