DMCS tells messaging apps not to use e2e encryption for minors' accounts

The UK Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) has told messaging apps to prevent the use of end-to-end encryption on “child accounts”.

The DMCS published on Tuesday a guide for users to take steps to protect themselves from harmful content online.

Although it isn’t official yet, there is already legislation being suggested to prevent the e2e encryption on minors’ accounts. The Online Safety Bill was published in May this year and it includes a series of points to impose a legal duty on apps to protect users from harmful content.

The Bill also aims to ensure that users are able to express themselves freely online and requires platforms to consider the importance of freedom of expression when fulfilling their duties.

As a result of trying to protect minors, age verification technologies — and all sorts of content monitoring solutions (surveillance tech, doubtless badged as ‘safety’ tech) — could proliferate.

In a section of the DCMS guidance entitled “protect children by limiting functionality”, the government department suggests that “private channels” “prevent end-to-end encryption for child accounts''. It also adds that e2e encryption could be a “risk” to users in general.

“End-to-end encryption makes it more difficult for you to identify illegal and harmful content occurring on private channels. You should consider the risks this might pose to your users,” the UK government said in the DMCS guidance.

In a statement Tuesday, the digital minister Caroline Dinenage said: “We’re helping businesses get their safety standards up to scratch before our new online harms laws are introduced and also making sure they are protecting children and users right now.

“We want businesses of all sizes to step up to a gold standard of safety online and this advice will help them to do so,” she added.

These new rules will be policed by the regulator Ofcom which will be able to issue financial penalties up to the amount of the greater of £18m or 10% of global turnover; take “business disruption measures”, which include seeking court orders to disrupt the activities of non-compliant providers or prevent access to their service where it is deemed there is a risk and issuing directions and notices of non-compliance.