Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal Foundation and Conservative MP Damian Collins debate the UK's 'Online Safety Bill'.

Collins says that if a platform (ie. Signal or Whatsapp) has a Terms Of Service that prohibits illegal uses such as child porn, then that platform should also have a means to enforce those terms. This seems reasonable, but the question is, HOW would that enforcement happen on an encrypted, privacy-first platform?
Whittaker argues that the Online Safety Bill would enable ‘unprecedented paradigm-shifting surveillance’ and you cannot create a backdoor that only the ‘good guys’ (ie. police) can walk through. She asserts that the default for human communication should be 'privacy first' – and I wholeheartedly agree.
For reference, here is the current UK bill and one concerning excerpt...
99 – Offences in connection with information notices (4) A person commits an offence if, in response to an information notice, the person— (a) provides information which is encrypted such that it is not possible for OFCOM to understand it, or produces a document which is encrypted such that it is not possible for OFCOM to understand the information it contains, and (b) the person’s intention was to prevent OFCOM from understanding such information.
This debate prompted me to think, what are some examples of non-digital realms where privacy is widely accepted as the default / norm? And how far are these businesses/industries expected to go in the name of law enforcement?
For example: • Hotels - people would freak out to learn that the government has passed a law requiring hotels to bug all of their rooms. • Courier services - should the government open everyone's mail? • others?
Obviously if law enforcement has evidence that crimes are being committed they can get a warrant from a judge and enter, but is the business required to pro-actively spy on customers?
Would it even help to draw parallels with more traditional business? Maybe there aren't any true 1 to 1 precedents here – which is why the debate rages on. Any legal experts on SN?
UK is fucked. Can't even cross the border without having your devices searched (terrorism laws, you have to unlock and hand them over if requested)
get out while you still can!
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Wow. Do they really search your device? Never experienced that before.
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they have the right, during a border crossing, yes.
same for US, Australia, and Canada.
Police states!
just wipe your devices and recover on the other side. pain in the ass, but enforces good digital hygiene.
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Genius idea: Let's put cameras in the bathroom stalls at every gas station and truck stop in America. That'll stop the prostitution problem cold! 🧠
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it only relates to child sexual exploitation content, so the worst content where it is not a matter of context, it is without dispute that this content is vile and is illegal
not a minute in, and the politician already says something provable wrong:
A San Francisco man who snapped a photo of his baby boy’s swollen genitals for a telemedicine consultation had his Google accounts shut down — and the tech giant reported the dad to police — over suspicions he was engaged in child pornography.
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"Privacy as Default": that's the only way.
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Also, I just noticed the Stacker FIREWORKS 🎆 ZAP animation today. Nice touch! Happy 4th!
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Yes, July 4th, US Independence Day.
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