The UK’s cybersecurity chiefs have favoured allowing companies to put in place “client-side scanning” that could protect “children and privacy at the same time”.
In a discussion paper, National Cybersecurity Centre technical director Ian Levy and Crispin Robinson of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) said they did not find merit in the arguments that the technology was unsafe to prevent uploading of child abuse imagery.
However, critics argue that client-side scanning, which refers to the scanning of messages for matches against a database of objectionable content before they are sent to the intended recipients, goes against end-to-end encryption policy.
Tech major Apple’s plan to scan photos before they are uploaded to the company’s image-sharing service has been halted because of privacy concerns.
“We’ve found no reason why client-side scanning techniques cannot be implemented safely in many of the situations one will encounter,” they said.
However, Levy and Robinson, who is the technical director of cryptanalysis at the GCHQ, clarified that the discussion paper was not a government policy.
“It’s relatively easy for a service provider to silently add a law enforcement participant to a group chat or call.. This sort of solution seems to be no more intrusive than the virtual crocodile clips that our democratically elected representatives and judiciary authorise today,” the duo said.
They also warned that lack of clarity in understanding the matter could result in “the wrong outcome”.
“Details matter when talking about this subject… Discussing the subject in generalities, using ambiguous language or hyperbole, will almost certainly lead to the wrong outcome,” their discussion paper said.
Child protection campaigners welcomed the duo’s argument.
Andy Burrows of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said the paper “breaks through the false binary that children’s fundamental right to safety online can only be achieved at the expense of adult privacy”.
He told the Guardian, “It’s clear that legislation can incentivise companies to develop technical solutions and deliver safer and more private online services.”
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)