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Graeme Biggar, director general of the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), has called on Meta, the parent company of Instagram, to reconsider its ongoing rollout of end-to-end encryption (E2EE), sparking the latest development in the contentious crypto wars.
The move comes after European police chiefs, including those from the UK, expressed concerns about the rollout of E2EE by the tech industry.
They called for platforms to design security systems that would allow them to identify illegal activity and report message content to law enforcement.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4 on Monday, Biggar emphasized the importance of information access for law enforcement in protecting the public from organized and serious crime.
While supporting encryption and privacy, he stressed the need for companies like Meta to provide necessary information to law enforcement agencies.
The NCA chief's intervention aligns with a joint declaration by European police chiefs, urging platforms to adopt technical solutions that balance robust security and privacy with the ability to detect illegal activity and report it to authorities.
The declaration does not specify the technologies platforms should use for scanning message content, but it's believed they may advocate for client-side scanning, similar to Apple's controversial plan to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on users' devices.
Meta, however, has defended its stance on expanding access to E2EE, emphasizing its efforts to combat abuse while maintaining online security.
The company has faced similar calls from UK government officials in the past, with threats of sanctions under the Online Safety Act.
The debate highlights the ongoing tension between privacy advocates and law enforcement agencies over encryption standards and access to user data.
As the crypto wars continue, the implications for online security and privacy remain at the forefront of regulatory discussions.
