{"id":51543,"date":"2023-04-20T15:33:41","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T15:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packetstormsecurity.com\/news\/view\/34537\/Crime-Agencies-Condemn-Metas-Encryption-Plans.html"},"modified":"2023-04-20T15:33:41","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T15:33:41","slug":"crime-agencies-condemn-metas-encryption-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/crime-agencies-condemn-metas-encryption-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Crime Agencies Condemn Meta’s Encryption Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An alliance of the world\u2019s most powerful law enforcement agencies including the FBI, Interpol and Britain\u2019s National Crime Agency (NCA) have condemned Meta\u2019s plans to encrypt direct messages on Facebook Messenger and Instagram<\/a>, saying that doing so will weaken the ability to keep child users safe.<\/p>\n

The Virtual Global Taskforce, made up of 15 agencies, is chaired by the NCA and also includes Europol and the Australian federal police among its membership. The VGT has spoken out, it says, owing to the \u201cimpending design choices\u201d by Meta<\/a>, which it says could cause serious harm.<\/p>\n

The decision to encrypt direct messages on the platforms, which would prevent anyone other than the intended recipient being able to intercept the communications, \u201cis an example of a purposeful design choice that degrades safety systems and weakens the ability to keep child users safe\u201d, the alliance said.<\/p>\n

The VGT praised Meta\u2019s work with the American National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children<\/a> (NCMEC), which acts as a clearing house for reports on online child sexual abuse.<\/p>\n

Meta reported more such cases to the NCMEC than any other provider, the alliance said, but it feared that lead would disappear once the messages are \u201cend-to-end encrypted\u201d (E2EE). \u201cThe VGT has not yet seen any indication from Meta that any new safety systems implemented post-E2EE will effectively match or improve their current detection methods,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

Citing the case of David Wilson<\/a>, who was jailed in 2021 for abusing 52 children, the VGT predicted similar arrests could prove impossible with encryption enabled. \u201cThe successful prosecution of Wilson and the resulting safeguarding of hundreds of children was possible because law enforcement were able to access the evidence contained within over 250,000 messages through Facebook. In an E2EE environment, it is highly unlikely this case would have been detected.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, a Meta spokesperson said: \u201cThe overwhelming majority of Brits already rely on apps that use encryption. We don\u2019t think people want us reading their private messages, so have developed safety measures that prevent, detect and allow us to take action against this heinous abuse, while maintaining online privacy and security.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we continue to roll out our end-to-end encryption plans, we remain committed to working with law enforcement and child safety experts to ensure that our platforms are safe for young people.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the case of David Wilson, we submitted Cybertips to authorities using both public and private information,\u201d the spokesperson added. \u201cWe have developed detection systems using behavioural signals and other account activity that are not reliant on the content of private messages to identify malicious actors like David Wilson. It\u2019s misleading and inaccurate to say that encryption would have prevented us from identifying and reporting accounts like David Wilson\u2019s to the authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plans to encrypt all messages on Meta\u2019s platforms were first revealed in 2019<\/a>, when the company was still called Facebook. But they have been delayed a number of times, because of technical hurdles and regulatory pressure. In April 2021, the company announced the integration would not happen until 2022 at the earliest, before pushing the deadline back to 2023<\/a> in November 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re taking our time to get this right,\u201d Meta\u2019s head of safety, Antigone Davis, said when the latest delay was announced. \u201cAs a company that connects billions of people around the world and has built industry-leading technology, we\u2019re determined to protect people\u2019s private communications and keep people safe online.\u201d<\/p>\n

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