A group of 47 companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and WhatsApp have strongly criticized a proposal by the UK intelligence agency GCHQ to eavesdrop on encrypted messages. In an open letter published on Lawfare the companies say that the plans would undermine security, threaten trust in encrypted messaging services, and ultimately endanger citizens’ right to privacy and free expression.
The proposal from GCHQ was first published last November as part of a series of essays, and does not necessarily reflect a legislative agenda from the intelligence agency at this point. In the essay, two senior British intelligence officials argue that law enforcement should be added as a “ghost” participant in every encrypted messaging conversation.
