UK WhatsApp services likely to be shut down by security law, says Will Cathcart

WhatsApp, the most popular messaging service in the world, could be forced to stop offering its services in the United Kingdom if the country passes the current draft of an online security law, its head said on Thursday.

Online security bill before Parliament could make privacy features of the service illegal, WhatsApp Chief Will Cathcart told reporters on Thursday at the London offices of its parent, Meta Platforms. The messenger will not change its encryption standards, he said. “It is a global product; there is no way to change it in one part of the world,” Cathcart said. “Recently we have been blocked in Iran, for example. We have never seen a liberal democracy do that.”

The bill, introduced by former United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson is an attempt to force the internet companies to remove illegal content, such as child sexual abuse or terrorism. However, critics, including Meta, have said that scanning such content would be incompatible with the end-to-end encryption that is a common protection offered by messaging apps.