The new bill threatens end-to-end encryption and data security.
The UK government has initiated a bill that will oblige technology companies to provide information about planned innovations in the field of security of their products and, if necessary, even disable them on demand.
These measures were announced as part of the Royal speech of November 7, which was the first address of the British monarch to Parliament in the last 70 years. Among the many topics raised in the speech, the current King of Great Britain, Charles III, mentioned the introduction of new control measures related to the security technologies of large companies.
According to the guidelines to the legislative program, amendments to the law "On Investigative Powers" will allow the government to predict the risks to public safety associated with the introduction of technologies that exclude legitimate access to data. It is claimed that this will reduce the risk of serious crimes, such as child sexual abuse and terrorism.
It is also proposed to update the terms of use of the Internet connection log stored by service providers in order to effectively detect serious crimes and threats to national security.
In addition, the Government is committed to improving the sustainability of warrant issuance processes so that intelligence agencies and the National Crime Agency always have legitimate access to information on time.
The human rights organization Open Rights Group expressed concerns that the new laws, which have yet to be discussed and voted on in parliament, may lead to the fact that global technology companies will soon be forced to get permission from the British government for literally everything, including changing security features in their products and services, which will become very controversial. an element in their protection.
Abigail Burke, Platform Capacity Program Manager, said: "End-to-end encryption ensures the security of our data and communications. The proposed amendments to the law "On Investigative Powers" are a new attack by the government on this technology."
"If these amendments are adopted, they threaten companies ability to protect our data and increase the risk of criminal attacks. We encourage the government to engage with civil society and technology companies, and review these potentially dangerous proposals," Burke added.
Amendments to the controversial Investigative Powers Act follow the passage of the Online Security Act, which gives the government the power to introduce laws to protect children online, including clause 122, known as the "spy clause", despite protests from tech companies and privacy advocates.
The UK government has initiated a bill that will oblige technology companies to provide information about planned innovations in the field of security of their products and, if necessary, even disable them on demand.
These measures were announced as part of the Royal speech of November 7, which was the first address of the British monarch to Parliament in the last 70 years. Among the many topics raised in the speech, the current King of Great Britain, Charles III, mentioned the introduction of new control measures related to the security technologies of large companies.
According to the guidelines to the legislative program, amendments to the law "On Investigative Powers" will allow the government to predict the risks to public safety associated with the introduction of technologies that exclude legitimate access to data. It is claimed that this will reduce the risk of serious crimes, such as child sexual abuse and terrorism.
It is also proposed to update the terms of use of the Internet connection log stored by service providers in order to effectively detect serious crimes and threats to national security.
In addition, the Government is committed to improving the sustainability of warrant issuance processes so that intelligence agencies and the National Crime Agency always have legitimate access to information on time.
The human rights organization Open Rights Group expressed concerns that the new laws, which have yet to be discussed and voted on in parliament, may lead to the fact that global technology companies will soon be forced to get permission from the British government for literally everything, including changing security features in their products and services, which will become very controversial. an element in their protection.
Abigail Burke, Platform Capacity Program Manager, said: "End-to-end encryption ensures the security of our data and communications. The proposed amendments to the law "On Investigative Powers" are a new attack by the government on this technology."
"If these amendments are adopted, they threaten companies ability to protect our data and increase the risk of criminal attacks. We encourage the government to engage with civil society and technology companies, and review these potentially dangerous proposals," Burke added.
Amendments to the controversial Investigative Powers Act follow the passage of the Online Security Act, which gives the government the power to introduce laws to protect children online, including clause 122, known as the "spy clause", despite protests from tech companies and privacy advocates.
