Arthur Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Err, yes! Sources: The Next Web / The Independent / The Telegraph UK Prime Minister David Cameron could push for a ban on WhatsApp and Snapchat if he wins this year’s general election. The move would be the result of new surveillance plans proposed in the wake of the terror attacks in France. Cameron, speaking in Paris – in comments quoted by The Independent – said: "In our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people which... we cannot read?" He made it clear that he wants to stop the use of communications methods that cannot be read by the security services even with a warrant. That would include communications and social media apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat which encrypt their data. WhatsApp added end-to-end encryption to its service in late-2014. In practice, while the government could seek to impose a ban on encrypted communication apps and see them removed from mainstream app stores, it would be almost impossible to prevent their use entirely. It’s unlikely that the proposals will become law if the Conservatives find themselves in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats again after this year’s General Election. If the legislation is pursued as proposed, the move will face serious challenges from civil liberties groups. Spies should be able to monitor all online messaging, says David Cameron The Security Services will be given the powers to read all messages sent over the internet, if the Conservatives win the general election. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, made the pledge at a campaign event attended by up to 100 Conservative activists in Nottingham. The police and the intelligence agencies have expressed concerns that they are not able to access the content of some of the new ways to communicate over the internet. The Prime Minister - who on Monday morning chaired a meeting of the Security Services to discuss lessons that be learned from last week's terrorist attacks on Paris - said a Tory Government would pass a law in the next Parliament to ensure that the police and Security Services can read internet messages. The problem at the moment was that new ways of communicating over the internet were impossible for the agencies to keep track of, he said. [...] Mr Cameron said: “The next Government will have to legislate again in 2016. If I am prime minister I will make sure that it is a comprehensive piece of legislation that does not allow terrorists safe space to communicate with each other. Edited January 12, 2015 by Arthur
elsiegee40 Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Realistically, banning such apps isn't going to fix the problem. We all know that. Maybe one of Mr Cameron's children can explain it to him. Pre election posturing. 1
localzuk Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 He's obviously not actually ran this past anyone who knows anything technical. He's been like a dog with a bone about giving spies more access to communications, and every time he has been called on it he backs down because he quite frankly can't justify it. He can't use the Charlie Hebdo attacks as evidence that they need more access - the attackers were already known about, were home-grown terrorists, and were only not under surveillance due to reducing costs (according to various reports I've seen). He can't use the Lee Rigby killers as evidence either, the attackers were already known about, and had in fact already been approached by MI5 and had been rebuffed. That's a lacking in ability, not a lack of access to communications. Not to mention, how would this actually work? "Dear terrorists, we don't allow encryption we can't break now". What're the terrorists gonna do? Go "oh no! We can't use XYZ any more"? Laughable.
sonofsanta Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Ha ha ha! Ha ha! Ha. Ha. Ha. Oh WebCameron, you so dumb. "The Prime Minister - who on Monday morning chaired a meeting of the Security Services to discuss lessons that be learned from last week's terrorist attacks on Paris..." Lessons like "people are willing to die for freedom of expression, so in their memory we should curtail freedom even more"? Good work, hot shot. I cannot believe I actually have to pick one of these muppets to vote for this year not that it matters one jot in Lincolnshire anyway. The local Tory MP could be found to be using slaves in his mansion and everyone would still vote him in anyway.
Andrew_C Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Trouble is, not matter how stupid this is in reality, it will buy him votes in Daily (hate) Mail country. He'll go for it.
abillybob Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Hahaha. Oh he does make me laugh. For starters there are 100's of other encrypted messaging services that can be used anyway and even if he does ban these particular apps it doesn't mean that people will stop using them, I'm sure a Google search and a quick apk file will sort that problem. Does he think he's going to remove it from the app store and that the app will disappear from the interwebs? It's laughable. I suggest he stops talking cr*p, it's like when he tried to remove porn. Look what happened hardly anyone signed up for the extra filtering and children are clever enough to gain access through another means if they really want to view it. Bottom line the UK has access to the WWW and he can't just decide he doesn't want something on the interwebs and it'll just disappear because "Cameron said so"
sonofsanta Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 TBH it's probably because his chum at TalKTalk has got a new service she needs to sell but she can't compete with the entrenched solutions, so as with last time and the filter, she's leaning on Dave to give her an edge.
foofighterjim Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 He just doesn't have a clue does he. As with schools this is what happens when you let non technical people make technical decisions.
gtg93 Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) I'm pretty certain Snapchat is how most terrorists send info to each other, so this is a good idea... Edited January 13, 2015 by gtg93 1
TechMonkey Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 I'm pretty certain Snapchat is how most terrorists send info to each other, so this is a good idea... That could be quite a good tumblr or web short video
Quackers Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Does this mean i will have to turn off our SSL encryption on our Exchange boxes? and google will be banned in the UK now it runs SSL even for searches? and what about my iCloud account, and Office 365.... what a mess this could end up being or will SSL still be ok so long as you allow the secret service access to the communications on request?
X-13 Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Usually I shrug this stuff off, as it's stupid and unenforceable... But, what about all the off-site MIS data? Personal information about minors, sometimes including confidential information about protective orders. That's encrypted to hell. There is no way I'm helping this, or any, school comply with this idiotic sentiment should it become law. ["Think of the children" Vs "TERRORISTS!" There are no winners.]
difinity Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Realistically, banning such apps isn't going to fix the problem. We all know that. Maybe one of Mr Cameron's children can explain it to him. Pre election posturing. The one he left at the pub ? A more comprehensive list of chat programs. Some far more secure than Whatsapp. https://www.eff.org/secure-messaging-scorecard
Arreks Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 He's trying to sound good and failing miserably. It doesn't take a great mind to realize Google exists and that you can find tonnes of encrypted platforms to communicate with other people in seconds.
jinnantonnixx Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 I've said it before, but he really should have been briefed on the basics before making such stupid statements.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now