This is an issue we at SimpleX Chat are paying close attention to, and it’s difficult to predict what laws might be passed in the future. While we cannot provide legal advice on potential future requirements, we believe that providing end-to-end encryption is necessary for public safety, and that any limitations of privacy would both undermine public safety and also violate the European Convention of Human Rights, specifically Articles 8-10, and because of that this law might be unlikely to pass.

This won’t stop anti-privacy lobbyists to try and mislead politicians about the efficacy of such measures in combatting crime, so the role of both the industry and the activists is to engage in an open dialogue, educate politicians about the capabilities and limitations of existing technology, and help figure out alternative solutions that would reduce child abuse online. E.g., we believe that both laws and technology should better support parents in supervising online activities of their young children, without undermining family privacy and end-to-end encryption. That would dramatically reduce the risks for children online.

Many politicians, organizations, developers, researchers, and companies are actively opposing these legislative ideas. If you’re interested in supporting this effort, consider signing this open letter highlighting the dangers of compromising encryption.

We also encourage you to share this post about how protecting children’s safety requires end-to-end encryption.

Thank you for being alert about this issue!