The proposed UK ban would be aimed at 'bespoke devices … where the software/hardware has been developed to anonymize its users and their communications and its user base is assessed to be almost certainly criminal.' US officials frequently have expressed similar fears that encryption will leave them in the dark, and have likewise tried to promote unworkable rules to ensure only 'the good guys' get protected by encryption.

'The highly encrypted nature of such devices and the way they have been modified create considerable barriers to law enforcement agencies collecting intelligence and evidence in respect of serious crimes.' Back in the Land of the Free 'These sophisticated devices provide access to encrypted communication platforms used by serious and organized criminals to plan their illicit activities,' the Home Office argues. One of these contemplates criminalizing the manufacture or possession of 'sophisticated encrypted communication devices,' an ill-defined category that encompasses the software and hardware used on supposedly secure (and since seized) phone networks like ANOM, EncroChat, Phantom Secure, and Sky Global. Last month, the UK Home Office opened consultation on a set of proposals to address serious and organized crime. The UK is targeting encryption on another front, too.

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'If Signal withdraws its services from the UK, it will particularly harm journalists, campaigners and activists who rely on end-to-end encryption to communicate safely.' 'Signal’s announcement highlights just how seriously these proposals will threaten encryption and undermine our right to communicate securely and privately.

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