Google is setting the record straight after claims surfaced that the UK government wanted a backdoor into encrypted messages. The tech giant says it hasn’t received any such request.
Earlier this week, several UK media reports suggested that the British government had pressured Google to weaken end-to-end encryption for its messaging services. But Google has now responded, saying those claims are false. According to the company, “the UK government has not asked us to create a backdoor into our encrypted services.”
The confusion seems to stem from the UK’s Online Safety Act, a law that gives the government more oversight over online platforms, including provisions that allow Ofcom (the UK’s internet regulator) to demand access to certain types of content in extreme cases. This has sparked ongoing debate about whether the law could force companies to compromise user privacy.
Google’s statement is an attempt to reassure users that end-to-end encryption, which protects messages so only the sender and recipient can read them, is still intact. The company emphasized that if the UK ever did make such a request, it would push back strongly.
Related: Apple and Google May Lose Their UK Mobile Monopoly Privileges.
Privacy advocates have long warned that legal frameworks like the Online Safety Act can create dangerous loopholes. But for now, Google says no such breach of user data has been demanded or made.
