Some world super-economies namely; United States, United Kingdom and Australia are currently pressuring Facebook to quit its end-to-end encryption program across all its messaging platforms unless law enforcement officials in that country have back-door access.
Their argument is that the encryption inhibits the fight against child abuse, child pornography and terrorism.
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Thanks to a special data agreement signed between the US and the UK, law enforcement agencies could get needed data and informtion in a matter of days instead of the six-months to two-year delay that frustrates the current modus operandi.
This agreement would fast-track requests from law enforcement to technology companies for information about the communications of terrorists and child predators.
The US-China trade war preventing the likes of Huawei from selling tech equipment to US companies could also impact Apple, Alphabet’s Google and Microsoft.
In an open letter signed by the three countries addressed directly to Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, the allies states that while they support the encryption programme, it was necessary to balance the need for secure data with public safety.
Facebook and other messaging platforms were asked to “enable law enforcement to obtain lawful access to content in a readable and usable format”.
A section of the letter states, “Unfortunately, Facebook has not committed to address our serious concerns about the impact its proposals could have on protecting our most vulnerable citizens”.