Government ad campaign to turn public against phone security attacked as ‘alarmist’ and ‘scaremongering’

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A government campaign aimed at turning the public against phone security has been attacked as “alarmist” by critics.

The campaign, backed by the Home Office and named ‘No Place To Hide’, aims to encourage social media companies to stop using end-to-end encryption.

That technology ensures that messages can only be read by their recipient and sender, with even the company relaying them unable to see their contents.

The government has repeatedly argued that such security is hindering law enforcement work, and the latest campaign seeks to suggest that companies such as Facebook are covering up child sexual abuse and other crime by protecting those messages.

But critics called the campaign “alarmist” and “scaremongering”, and suggested that its plans would actually leave children more vulnerable than before.

“The Home Office’s scaremongering campaign is as disingenuous as it is dangerous,” said Robin Wilton, the Internet Society’s director of internet trust. “Without strong encryption, children are more vulnerable online than ever. Encryption protects personal safety and national security.  What the government is proposing puts everyone at risk.”

The Open Rights Group also suggested that the ad campaign is being used to “soften up public opinion prior to amendments to the Online Safety Bill that would allow the government to install backdoors into end to end encrypted messaging apps”.

“This crass campaign shows how desperate the government is to scare people into supporting the ill-conceived Online Harms Bill,” said Jim Killock, the group’s executive director. If the government weakens encryption, it will only help predators, criminals, blackmailers, and scammers. The Online Safety Bill is not designed to prosecute criminals, but to delete egregious materials online. Their campaign is a shameful distraction tactic and wholly misleading.”

Meta – the parent company of Facebook, which is the main target of the campaign – said that the technology was required to keep messages secure and that it was working on a variety of ways to protect the children who use its platform.

“The overwhelming majority of Brits already rely on messaging services which use end-to-end encryption to keep them safe from hackers, fraudsters and criminals,” said Antigone Davis, Meta’s global head of safety. “We agree on the need for strong safety measures that work with encryption and are building these into our plans.

“We’re focused on preventing harm by banning suspicious profiles, restricting adults from messaging children they’re not connected with and defaulting under 18s to private or ‘friends only’ accounts. We’re also encouraging people to report harmful messages to us so we can see the contents, respond swiftly and make referrals to the authorities.

“As we roll out this technology we’re taking our time to get it right and are working with outside experts and law enforcement to help keep people safe online.”

Technology analyst Benedict Evans noted that “end-to-end encryption is probably the only issue where the entire tech industry is on Facebook’s side”. “Collective reaction: ‘Jesus, do we have to explain this *again*?’”, he tweeted.

The Home Office said in a statement that it had launched the campaign with advertising campaign M&C Saatchi to highlight shared concerns about the technology.

“Our number one priority is the protection of children and public safety. Technology companies must take responsibility for tackling the most serious illegal content on their platforms and protecting their users, including our children,” a spokesperson said.

“The UK Government supports encryption and believes that end-to-end encryption can be implemented responsibly in a way which is consistent with public safety. Our view is that online privacy and cyber security must be protected, but that these are compatible with safety measures, that can ensure the detection of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

“We have engaged M&C Saatchi to bring together the many organisations who share our concerns about the impact end-to-end encryption would have on our ability to keep children safe.

“M&C Saatchi’s support to partners includes PR and communications advice to work towards the shared goal of protecting children online.”