WhatsApp may have its days numbered in the UK

In recent days, a controversy has arisen in the United Kingdom related to the approval of a law that aims to promote digital security. The possible consequence is the departure of WhatsApp from the country, as the application refuses to remove end-to-end encryption, which is a feature to guarantee the total privacy of conversations in the app.

WhatsApp may have its days numbered in the UK

The quest for content moderation on digital platforms has been a challenge for several governments. In the United Kingdom, the Online Safety Bill, or Digital Security Law, is under discussion, with the aim of promoting content moderation for prevent the dissemination of news containing revenge pornography, hate speech, incitement to violence, child abuse and other crimes similar

According to the proposal, the idea is that all social network providers and other digital platforms should moderate content on the network. However, due to end-to-end encryption in WhatsApp, content moderation would be impossible.

Thus, the only solution to remain active in the country would be to remove end-to-end encryption technology, which results in the loss of security and protection of users' data, with the possibility for other people to spy on their conversations.

As provided in the bill, if any company disobeys the rules, the penalty can be severe: Application of fines totaling up to 4% of the companies' annual revenues.

Given this scenario, Meta claims that it prefers to stop making the application available in the country, as it values ​​the privacy and data protection of users. The measure would be considered a setback in terms of digital security.

End-to-end encryption is so important that, in addition to Meta, other platforms also become protested against the measure, such as Signal, considered a non-profit organization that operates in the UK.

The proposal is from 2021 and is currently under discussion in the British Parliament.