Privacy or public safety – what is more important in the era of digitalization?
European police agencies have expressed concern that increased privacy measures, such as the use of "end-to-end encryption" (E2EE), could seriously limit the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes.
According to Europol representatives, such technology will not allow technology companies and law enforcement agencies to see and use data on violations occurring on social media platforms.
The introduction of E2EE by default in apps such as Messenger from Meta * starting in December 2023 has drawn criticism from the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). The organization pointed out that such design solutions make it difficult to protect children from online sexual violence and weaken the ability of the police to investigate crimes and ensure the safety of the public.
NCA CEO Graeme Biggar emphasized that encryption can effectively protect users from a variety of crimes, but the ill-considered implementation of E2EE by tech giants poses threats to public safety.
Catherine de Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, added that technology companies should have a social responsibility to create a safe environment without interfering with the work of law enforcement agencies.
In a joint statement, the authorities stressed that it is not necessary to completely abandon the privacy of citizens for the sake of public safety. The declaration states that there are technical solutions that only require flexibility on the part of industry and Governments.
Meta, despite the introduction of E2EE in its products, has found a compromise way to combat child exploitation, for example, in WhatsApp. And recently, the company also announced a pilot program on Instagram to protect young people from sextortion and abuse of intimate images. At the same time, the security and privacy of correspondence is not violated, since the content is analyzed directly on the end user's device.
European police agencies have expressed concern that increased privacy measures, such as the use of "end-to-end encryption" (E2EE), could seriously limit the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes.
According to Europol representatives, such technology will not allow technology companies and law enforcement agencies to see and use data on violations occurring on social media platforms.
The introduction of E2EE by default in apps such as Messenger from Meta * starting in December 2023 has drawn criticism from the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). The organization pointed out that such design solutions make it difficult to protect children from online sexual violence and weaken the ability of the police to investigate crimes and ensure the safety of the public.
NCA CEO Graeme Biggar emphasized that encryption can effectively protect users from a variety of crimes, but the ill-considered implementation of E2EE by tech giants poses threats to public safety.
Catherine de Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, added that technology companies should have a social responsibility to create a safe environment without interfering with the work of law enforcement agencies.
In a joint statement, the authorities stressed that it is not necessary to completely abandon the privacy of citizens for the sake of public safety. The declaration states that there are technical solutions that only require flexibility on the part of industry and Governments.
Meta, despite the introduction of E2EE in its products, has found a compromise way to combat child exploitation, for example, in WhatsApp. And recently, the company also announced a pilot program on Instagram to protect young people from sextortion and abuse of intimate images. At the same time, the security and privacy of correspondence is not violated, since the content is analyzed directly on the end user's device.
