London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

Tech firms to be forced to combat 'tsunami of online child abuse' by Online Safety Bill amendment

Tech firms to be forced to combat 'tsunami of online child abuse' by Online Safety Bill amendment

Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, has announced plans to effectively lock Facebook Messenger and Instagram direct messages using end-to-end encryption, a technology which keeps conversations secure, but can also make them inaccessible for anyone trying to keep them safe.

New legislation will give regulators the power to force technology companies to stop sexual abuse of children on their platforms.

The amendment to the Online Safety Bill, which was announced today by the Home Office, will allow Ofcom to demand that big tech firms such as Facebook and Google use their "best endeavours" to prevent, identify and remove child sexual abuse.

The move was welcomed by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), which said it would help stem what it called a "tsunami of online child abuse".

The amendment is a small but significant strengthening of the powers of Ofcom, which will become the regulator for tech and social media if the proposed Online Safety Bill becomes law.

It will let Ofcom insist on proof that child sexual abuse is being tackled, even if the technology behind the platform changes.

Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, has announced plans to effectively lock Facebook Messenger and Instagram direct messages using end-to-end encryption, a technology which keeps conversations secure, but can also make them inaccessible for anyone trying to keep them safe.

Pros and cons of encryption


Home Secretary Priti Patel condemned Meta's encryption plans in the strongest possible terms, calling them "morally wrong and dangerous", and law enforcement agencies such as Interpol and the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) have criticised the technology.

But Whitehall officials insist that they are not against encryption itself, just the problems it poses for law enforcement agencies and police forces, which need direct evidence of involvement with child sexual abuse to start investigations and make arrests.

Last year, the Internet Watch Foundation successfully blocked 8.8 million attempts by UK internet users to access videos and images of children being abused.

Faced with exploitation on this scale, officials argue that they must at the very least maintain their current level of access, which relies on the tech companies reporting instances of abuse to the authorities.

The case of David Wilson, for instance, who posed as girls online to elicit sexually explicit images from young boys, was started after a report from Meta. Wilson was jailed for 25 years in 2021 after admitting 96 offences.

Convicted paedophile David Wilson


The new law will give Ofcom the power to insist that tech companies both inside and outside the UK to identify and take down child sexual abuse content, potentially giving the UK regulator the authority to break encryption globally.

However, officials argue that this does not mean apps and other services cannot be encrypted, saying that technologies exist that can give police forces access to the material they need without compromising privacy.

The new law will require tech companies to take action on child sexual abuse "where it is proportionate and necessary to do so", giving Ofcom the ability to balance security for users and security for children.

Yet while this move may sound like a peace settlement on the vexed issue of encryption, it might not spell the end of conflict.

'tsunami of online child abuse'


Attempts by Apple to scan iPhone images for known child sexual abuse imagery were delayed last year after an outcry by privacy campaigners.

The system, called NeuralHash, was designed to identify images in a privacy-protecting way by doing the analysis locally on the phone rather than in Apple's data centres, but privacy campaigners argued that the software could be abused by governments or authoritarian states.

Whitehall officials say the fears are overblown, pointing to the results of the Safety Tech Challenge Fund, a government-funded collaboration with industry to produce technology that can "keep children safe in end-to-end encrypted environments" - such as an algorithm that turns the camera off automatically when it detects the filming of nudity.

The announcement of the change to the legislation comes as police data obtained by the NSPCC showed what the charity described as a "tsunami of online child abuse".

Freedom of Information requests filed by the charity revealed that Sexual Communication with a Child offences had jumped by 80% in four years, rising to 6,156 in the last year on record - an average of almost 120 offences a week.

Sir Peter Wanless, the chief executive of the NSPCC, welcomed the change to the Online Harms Bill, saying it would strengthen the protections around private messaging.

"This positive step shows there doesn't have to be a trade-off between privacy and detecting and disrupting child abuse material and grooming," he told Sky News.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×