The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Messaging services ‘need back doors’
Encrypted messaging services likeWhatsApp should build back doors into their systems so intelligence agencies can read suspected terrorists’ messages during investigations, the Home Secretary has said.
Amber Rudd said she supports end-to-end encryption, offered by the likes of WhatsApp, but said security services must be able to eavesdrop on messages when they have a warrant.
It comes amid reports that Westminster terrorist KhalidMasood used WhatsApp seconds before launching Wednesday’s attack, but agencies are unable to see what was communicated.
Ms Rudd also insisted the likes of Google, which runs the social video sharing platform YouTube, and smaller sites such asWordPress must realise that they arenowpublishing– rather than technology – companies and take more responsibility for taking down extreme material. The home secretary left the door open to changing the law if necessary. But she said she would rather see an industry-wide board doing it independently, as the best people to take action are those who understand the technology and the “necessary hashtags”.
On encrypted messaging services, she said: “It is completely unacceptable. There should be no place for terrorists to hide.
“We need to make sure organisations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, don’t provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other.
“It used to be people would steam open envelopes or just listen in on phones when they wanted to find out what people were doing, legally, through warrantry.
“But on this situation we need to make sure our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp.”
FormerMetropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Lord Paddick branded Ms Rudd's proposals “draconian”.