14 DAY TRIAL // A troubling report from the UK suggests that instant messaging clients like WhatsApp and Snapchat could be eradicated, or forced to comply with new surveillance plans, in light of the terrorist attacks in Paris, France, last week.
David William Donald Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party, has expressed immense discontent at the encryption practices of instant messaging vendors which prevent law enforcement from intercepting what could be key communications between criminals and their peers.
No more WhatsApp?
If elected, the PM reportedly said today that “he would stop the use of methods of communication that cannot be read by the security services even if they have a warrant,” with the Independent mentioning the widely-used WhatsApp and Snapchat IM clients.
Cameron is quoted as saying, “In our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people which […] we cannot read?”
The alternative (to banning) would be for the vendors to allow law enforcement to intercept conversations between users, whenever they believe it's in the nation's best interest. Considering that WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, who's to say if the social giant won't pull it entirely, leaving only Facebook Messenger as the alternative?
The new surveillance plans would also apply to iMessage, Apple’s own messaging platform built right inside iOS. The FBI has expressed similar concerns regarding Apple’s decision to let users keep the ball in their court, by preventing authorities from tapping conversations, even with a warrant in hand, in some situations.
More countries could follow suit
Currently, this is what might happen in the UK, but only if Cameron is allowed to act on his promise. However, you can expect more countries to follow suit if the new surveillance practices prove effective.
It’s certainly plausible that at least some terrorist attacks could be prevented if law enforcement was able to tap their conversations, but there’s no real evidence that these people are actually using WhatsApp or Snapchat to plan and synchronize their wrongdoings.