this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2025
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Developers of apps that use end-to-end encryption to protect private communications could be considered hostile actors in the UK.

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[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 248 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

Remember how, before the internet, intelligence agencies by default didn't know what anyone was saying to anyone else face to face or by mail, and had to actually work to find out? The country didn't fall apart. Why is the standard now that everything must be handed to them on a plate? Did they just get lazy?

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 51 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

I'm not disagreeing with you but what would happen back then is that they simply wouldn't stop the crime.

At some point we need to decide if giving up all semblance of personal privacy is worth stopping some of that. I vote no enthusiastically. We just have to accept that some of that crime won't be stopped and law enforcement will have to work harder.

[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 26 points 1 week ago (2 children)

If our countries could stop doing things that give people a reason to commit terroristic acts, Maybe that would solve some of it and we could be more secure in our papers and possessions without unlawful interference and undue search and seizures but that’s apparently none of my business

[–] WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The elite know what's coming. There isn't enough to keep economic growth going and sacrifices will have to be made, and that's not going to be the top. That means something is needed to detect and remove "problems" before they get big.

[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

Growth only matters in capitalism

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[–] arrow74@lemmy.zip 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

This isn't a new concept by any means. The argument of crime prevention has been used since governments existed to strip rights

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[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago

You'll love this!

I deployed an open-source chat system at work, just for convenience. Boss was concerned that it didn't do any logging and we couldn't tell who said what.

"You don't have any records of what we say verbally. What's the difference?"

"...Oh. Well, you're right."

He was coming from a legit concern. We didn't point fingers when someone screwed up, zero blame, but we needed to know exactly what happened so we could fix it.

[–] vacuumflower 17 points 1 week ago

That they can is what has changed. They didn't have sufficient information to put pressure.

They still had microphones and inquiry drugs, including those causing memory loss. So they knew plenty of what people were saying to each other.

Anyway. Everything has changed a lot, not just technology, and one can't really make a chain of causation to all this. There are plenty of feedback loops.

The rules now are "we are stronger, so we are forbidding everything we don't want". Losing leverage does that.

Until you learn of some way to hit them back, such questions are no good, because not answering them doesn't cost anything.

[–] big_slap@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I think its a mixture of lazy and inexperience.

I believe if someone in a position of authority who understands how vital E2EE is in order for the internet to work, this suggestion wouldn't even be on the table.

its a case of just kicking destroying E2EE down the road for another generation to deal with, I believe. not sure what the solution is, either

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[–] x00z@lemmy.world 88 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Said proudly by the hostile actors.

[–] sleen@lemmy.zip 12 points 1 week ago

While casually performing hostile activity

[–] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 85 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Wow, the UK sounds like an awful place.

[–] Egonallanon@feddit.uk 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Ah its not so bad if you get so drunk your critical thinking skills go out the window.

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[–] Piatro@programming.dev 24 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I thought we were unique in this but frankly everywhere in the "western" world is talking about the same things. EU has chat control, Australia has similar efforts, USA aren't pushing for privacy at all so it's not a uniquely British problem.

[–] sleen@lemmy.zip 19 points 1 week ago

It first starts with the "children" or the "bad actors/terrorists" and ends with a straight up fascist police state.

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[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 16 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Honestly everywhere sounds like an awful place at this point. Freedom is a thing of the past. A thing from a time whence literally everything we did wasn't tracked, and in order to exist in society, you're expected to submit to the tracking.

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[–] obinice@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Hey, did you use a secure encrypted connection to make that treasonous remark? I've got 999 on speed dial, I'm on to you, you encryption terrorist!

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[–] eleitl@lemmy.zip 59 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Folks, "1984" was supposed to be a warning. Not an instruction manual, with check off items.

We even had a huge reminder with V for Vendetta, but maybe that was too subtle.

[–] 87Six@lemmy.zip 58 points 1 week ago (5 children)

What the fuck happened to the UK? Is Trump president there too?

[–] DrDickHandler@lemmy.world 31 points 1 week ago

The right wing fascism wave is a world trend my guy. This is just the start.

[–] unconfirmedsourcesDOTgov 19 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Meta happened. UK, US, all over the world there is a correlation between the adoption of Meta's products and the corrosion of basic human rights.

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[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 53 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Pervasive surveillance is a hostile act. Abetting genocide and other crimes against humanity is a hostile act. Serving the rich at the expense of the poor is a hostile act.

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[–] razen@lemmy.world 50 points 1 week ago (1 children)

What the heck is happening with Europe in general? I thought they were better in terms of maintaining individual privacy, damm.

[–] fatboy93@lemmy.zip 40 points 1 week ago (2 children)

That's europe, this is just UK. Brexit didn't work out in a lot of ways they planned

[–] BuckenBerry@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'd argue it worked exactly as intended.

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[–] scholar@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago (4 children)
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[–] yggstyle@lemmy.world 45 points 1 week ago

Boys... When it's considered a hostle act to demand rights, ownership, and privacy... We have a problem.

I'm reminded of a particular movies speech...

[–] SapphironZA@sh.itjust.works 42 points 1 week ago

Well many governments see their citizens as hostile actors, so its not really a change, is it?

[–] recentSlinky@lemmy.ca 40 points 1 week ago

And i think committing and/or assisting in genocides is 'hostile activity'. One of us is definitely wrong :)

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 39 points 1 week ago

If you don’t want your citizens to be hostile, don’t make yourself an enemy.

Welcome to New East Germany.

[–] sleen@lemmy.zip 35 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There needs to be a watchdog for the watchdog, because this is totally unacceptable for a official to be this out of the loop on the technology they are watching over.

If they are a professional they should have some clue as to what is going on, but instead they're listening to their fascist pals.

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[–] deathbird@mander.xyz 33 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] ItsMeSpez@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

Truly. This global push towards mass surveillance is extremely alarming.

[–] Quacksalber@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm baffled that all this tracking nonsense is pushed through by a government that is supposed to be left of the tories. I guess that goes to show you that "center" parties can be just as evil as conservatives.

[–] IcyToes@sh.itjust.works 30 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

They aren't left. Starmer and chums undermined the left-wing leader of Labour. They're the pro-business wing of the party. New Labour folks were always dreadful for this sort of thing. Many authoritarian changes are coming from the centre, in UK, France, Denmark etc.

It all feels co-ordinated as states and their representatives squeeze down on working people.

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[–] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Don’t y’all vote over there? Government isn’t us vs them. Government is us. Period.

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[–] khannie@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

PGP has been around since the 90's can you PLEASE shut the fuck up.

Like please.

[–] IcyToes@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Gosh, and these powers could be handed to Farage.

They could be complicit in what comes next.

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[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 week ago

These guys are so fucking stupid. Security and privacy goes both ways. Either for people to use or not. If you don't want encryption, fine, your online banking doesn't work anymore

[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Doesn't even RCS and iMessages use E2EE?

I think most messaging apps these days have it. Allegedly even Discord (calls only, not text chat) has it.

[–] brotato@slrpnk.net 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think part of this is lawmakers not understanding the gravity of what they’re suggesting. Besides, most of these apps have some sort of backdoor built-in so they can decrypt messages if required in legal proceedings. Ripping E2EE out of everything is an insane assertion to make, and would make the Internet an even more dangerous place than it already is.

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[–] BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

What the fuck happened to UK, I knew their average population was dumb when brexit happened but they doubled down on it?

[–] IcyToes@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 week ago

People ran so hard from the Tories that they didn't consider Blue Labour would be dreadful also. Right now Labour and Tories are politically in danger and Reform and the Green Party are surging. Folk are fed up of parties not representing them. They just haven't fully cottoned on that that also applies to Reform. Greens are probably the main hope right now. Membership trebled to 180k. Polling close to Labour.

[–] Solrac@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

Let's be hostile together then

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