The owner of Facebook said that the introduction of encrypted messages will not be completed until sometime in 2023, because of concerns that this move may expose children to greater risks of exploitation and abuse.
Yuan The company that owns the social networking giant and messaging service WhatApp said it will take time to “do this” and promises to strive to strike a balance between privacy and online security.
End-to-end encryption hides the information of everyone except everyone in the conversation, and has previously triggered warnings that it threatens the online safety of children.
We are taking time to solve this problem and we do not plan to complete the global deployment of end-to-end encryption sometime in 2023
Antigone Davis, Meta’s security director, said he would continue to work with experts to solve the abuse problem, but insisted that in previous cases, the company was still able to help the authorities despite the encrypted services.
She wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: “Our recent review of some historical cases shows that even if these services have been end-to-end encrypted, we are still able to provide critical information to the authorities.
“Although there is no perfect system, it shows that we can continue to stop crime and support law enforcement.
“We will continue to work with external experts and develop effective solutions to combat abuse, because our work in this area has never been completed. We are taking time to do this well, and we do not plan to do it sometime in 2023. Complete the global deployment of default end-to-end encryption in all our messaging services.”
WhatsApp, another messaging platform of the social network, has been fully encrypted.
Last year, Anne Longfield, then the Commissioner for Children of England, stated that social media companies planned to implement more encryption in messaging services, which would make it impossible for the platform to monitor content and prevent the police from collecting potentially important evidence about child sexual behavior. As a result, children face greater risks. Development.
Facebook’s encryption plan has also been criticized by the US government before. government With the Secretary of the Interior Pritty Patel It warns that it puts children in danger and provides a hiding place for abusers and other criminals.
Ms. Davis stated that the company was “determined to protect people’s private communications and ensure people’s online safety”, but added that “people should not choose between privacy and security”.
She added that the company is “incorporating strong security measures into our plan and working with privacy and security experts, civil society and the government to ensure we do this.”
The company has developed a “three-pronged approach” that it says involves preventing injuries, giving people more control, and responding quickly when problems occur.
A day ago, it was reported that the head of Ofcom called on social media companies to face sanctions without preventing adults from sending messages directly to children.
The communications regulator will supervise the industry in accordance with the “Online Harmful Act” and have the power to fine companies and block access to websites.
“The Times” reported that Mrs. Melanie Daws will encourage regulators to carefully check direct messaging when new regulations are introduced in 2023.
Speaking of the industry and the bill, Mrs. Melanie said: “I think it is unsustainable for them to continue like us. Some things must change.
“Regulation provides them with a way to maintain consistency across the industry, convince users that they are doing the right thing, and prevent situations that could really weaken public trust.
“They really need to convince us that they understand who is actually using their platform, and they are designing for the reality of users, not just the older group they say in the terms and conditions.”
Ms. Davis said in her article that it was written before Mrs. Melanie made her comment. Facebook Measures are being taken to protect people under the age of 18 on its website, including defaulting them to private or “friends only” accounts, and restricting unconnected adults from sending them messages.
Proposals in the Online Harm Act include penalties for non-compliant companies, such as a huge fine of up to 18 million pounds or 10% of global turnover-whichever is higher.
In August, Instagram Announced that all users will be required to provide their date of birth, and Google has introduced a number of privacy changes for children using its search engine and YouTube platform.
TikTok has also begun to restrict direct messaging for accounts belonging to 16- and 17-year-old teenagers, and provides advice to parents and caregivers on how to provide support when teenagers sign up.
