This submission is part of a compendium on encryption. I would implore readers to first watch a short primer where Matt Green takes us through the specific technological developments that surround the history mentioned in this compendium. Better still, check out Matt Green’s submission End-to-end encryption: State of the Technical and Policy Debate for a deeper dive into the history of global enc… more

On 27 May 2021, WhatsApp took the Government of India to court over the IT Rules 2021. The IT Rules 2021 mandate WhatsApp to implement traceability i.e. the ability to trace the origins of “unlawful” messages. This effectively breaks WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption technology implemented to safeguard user privacy. WhatsApp argues that this mandate (in the IT Rules) violates citizens’ fundamental… more

A Brief History Of The Online Safety Bill In May 2021, the U.K government published the ‘Online Safety Bill’, comprising a 145-page document, along with 123 pages of explanatory notes and a 146-page impact assessment on the ramifications of the bill. The U.K government positions the Bill as one which ushers in “a new age of accountability for tech and brings fairness and accountability to the onl… more