The letter points to wording in online safety regulator Ofcom’s codes of practice, which say that platforms must remove illegal content where it is “technically feasible” – a phrase the charities claim will be used by encrypted messaging services to argue that they “cannot be held accountable for the take down of illegal content”.
Last month, The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a charity which proactively finds and helps remove child sexual abuse material from the internet, also raised concerns about the wording of the codes of practice, calling it a “blatant get-out clause” for platforms and could be used to help them evade compliance with online safety laws.
“Whether it is a child being sent a nude image of themselves as a form of sexual extortion, or an adult being exposed to child sexual abuse material in a group chat, on some sites users will not be able to confidently report and have this content removed.
In a joint letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, the charities argue current wording of the rules creates an “unacceptable loophole” for encrypted messaging services to avoid taking down illegal content.
Police and security services around the world have pushed for more access to encrypted communications in recent years, warning that it allows criminals such as terrorists and child abusers to more easily hide and hampers their efforts to catch them – an issue also raised by online safety campaigners.
