An open letter to Mark Zuckerberg was sent by Home Secretary Priti Patel concerning Facebook’s ‘Privacy First’ proposals.
The letter requests that Facebook does not proceed with its plan to implement end-to-end encryption across its messaging services without ensuring that there is no reduction to user safety and without including a means for law enforcement to obtain lawful access to the content of communications.
It is also signed by US Attorney General Barr, Secretary of Homeland Security (Acting) McAleenan, and Australian Minister for Home Affairs Dutton.
This comes after the world-first UK-US Bilateral Data Access Agreement was signed last night (October 3).
The Agreement will dramatically speed up investigations and prosecutions by enabling law enforcement, with appropriate authorisation, to go directly to the tech companies to access data, rather than through governments, which can take years.
Commenting on the agreement, Home Secretary Priti Patel said:
"Terrorists and paedophiles continue to exploit the internet to spread their messages of hate, plan attacks on our citizens and target the most vulnerable.
As Home Secretary I am determined to do everything in my power to stop them. This historic Agreement will dramatically speed up investigations, allowing our law enforcement agencies to protect the public.
This is just one example of the enduring security partnership we have with the US and I look forward to continuing to work with them and global partners to tackle these heinous crimes."
To read a full copy of the letter, go to https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/836665/HS_open_letter_to_Mark_Zuckerberg.PDF
