By now, we’ve all heard the familiar refrain: “It’s for your safety.” It’s the soothing mantra of every government official who’s ever wanted a peek behind your digital curtains.
This week, with a move that would make East Germany blush, the UK government officially confirmed its intention to hand Ofcom (yes, that Ofcom, the regulator that once investigated whether Love Island was too spicy) the keys to your private messages.
The country, already experiencing rapidly declining civil liberties, is now planning to scan encrypted chats for “bad stuff.”
As of January 11, 2026, the UK government has formally instructed Ofcom to explore the implementation of client-side scanning for encrypted messaging services, effectively granting the regulator the authority to compel platforms like WhatsApp, Signal, and iMessage to scan all user content before encryption occurs.
This move, rooted in Section 121 of the Online Safety Act
Ofcom is expected to begin acting on these powers as soon as its report is completed, with a target date of April 2026 for implementation.
The proposed client-side scanning would involve software on users’ devices analyzing messages against a database of known illegal content hashes before encryption, effectively turning personal devices into surveillance tools.
Despite government claims that scanning can occur without breaking encryption, cryptographic experts and organizations like Signal, Apple, and the Open Rights Group argue that any pre-encryption scanning inherently weakens the security of end-to-end encryption, creating vulnerabilities exploitable by hackers and authoritarian regimes.
Critics warn that such a system would lead to mass surveillance, false positives (e.g., innocent photos flagged as CSAM), and a chilling effect on free expression, particularly for at-risk groups such as LGBTQ+ individuals and journalists.
Reclaim The Net
UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors
Ofcom will soon have legal authority to compel encrypted messaging apps to scan all user content before it’s sent.
