British Prime Minister and Obama’s resident “bro” David Cameron made the likely unpopular decision Monday to suggest banning online messaging applications like WhatsApp and iMessage for the sake of security.
The ban, which could be part of Cameron’s new surveillance plans providing he wins election in May, would prohibit communication channels that can’t be read by security services, like online messaging apps that encrypt their data.
This would include WhatsApp and Snapchat as well as Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime.
“Are we going to allow a means of communications which it simply isn’t possible to read?” Cameron said at an event Monday, specifically referring to applications that use encryption. “My answer to that question is: ‘No, we must not.'”
He cited the recent terror attack on the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo as reason for his country to take such action.
“The attacks in Paris demonstrated the scale of the threat that we face and the need to have robust powers through our intelligence and security agencies in order to keep our people safe,” explained Cameron.
Though such a ban or restriction would not take effect before 2016, WhatsApp and iMessage users — undoubtedly young people especially — are likely not happy about this development.
