The comprehensive cybersecurity bill is reportedly being passed in parliament and is expected to come into force next year. The government expects it will apply to more than 25,000 services.
Meta said the bill still faces revisions, but the draft pushes the biggest social media and search engines to help people avoid “legitimate but harmful content” in so-called user-to-user services.
In documentary evidence released Wednesday, Meta said,This does not differentiate between messages and public social media, and could mean “scan all private messages”,That adds to a series of concerns and proposed amendments to the draft bill since March.
“Tech companies are failing to address child abuse, and end-to-end encryption may make them invisible on their websites, while hindering efforts to catch perpetrators,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said in a statement. “As a last resort, Ofcom has the power to allow private messaging applications to use technology to identify child sexual abuse information material – only in appropriate circumstances and with strict strictures,” the email said. Legal privacy protection measures are in place.”
The scope of the submission reflects the breadth and complexity of the proposed law. Lawmakers have received relevant letters from Silicon Valley giants, news publishers, religious groups, broadcasters, insurance companies, The Lego Group, e-cigarette maker Juul Labs, dating app Bumble, animal rights advocates and more .
Meta has also received criticism over censorship, misinformation and controversy over training politicians who have since used Facebook for their propaganda. A representative for Meta declined to comment on the reports, but said they supported regulations.
In the submission, Twitter said it was concerned about the precedent set by the bill around free speech issues and the threat of criminal sanctions in the bill, adding that there was a risk of exploitation by “malicious actors” , the exemption for journalism should be lifted.
Alphabet’s Google said the bill appeared to encourage “automated general monitoring and excessive removal of content.”
