UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors • Hacker News Board

Re: UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors

#31

Post by cedws » Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 2:03 AM UTC

ThePowerOfFuet wrote: post #6

cedws wrote: post #3

Nobody voted for this. I'm pretty cynical about both the current and previous government, but it feels like there's been a shift since Labour came into power. Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. There was chatter but it was met with resistance. Now it feels like the discussion is being squashed and there are invisible forces at work. If by some miracle the UK and EU agree on a new Youth Mob…

>If by some miracle the UK and EU agree on a new Youth Mobility Scheme I'm out of here. https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/migration-and-asy...

Thank you, I'll look into it.

Re: UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors

#32

Post by cedws » Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 2:05 AM UTC

michaelt wrote: post #10

cedws wrote: post #3

Nobody voted for this. I'm pretty cynical about both the current and previous government, but it feels like there's been a shift since Labour came into power. Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. There was chatter but it was met with resistance. Now it feels like the discussion is being squashed and there are invisible forces at work. If by some miracle the UK and EU agree on a new Youth Mob…

> it feels like there's been a shift since Labour came into power. Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. I had hoped Labour would roll back the anti-protest legislation, snooper's charter, internet censorship and voter ID laws. After all, it was mostly left-wing climate protesters getting arrested, and young (more left-leaning) voters being prevented from voting. Turns out no, quite the oppos…

My hope was that Labour would seize the opportunity and roll back the unpopular Tory policies too. It would've been easy points to score for the next general election. Instead, as you say, they just continued with and extended them.

Re: UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors

#33

Post by like_any_other » Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 2:44 AM UTC

michaelt wrote: post #10

cedws wrote: post #3

Nobody voted for this. I'm pretty cynical about both the current and previous government, but it feels like there's been a shift since Labour came into power. Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. There was chatter but it was met with resistance. Now it feels like the discussion is being squashed and there are invisible forces at work. If by some miracle the UK and EU agree on a new Youth Mob…

> it feels like there's been a shift since Labour came into power. Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. I had hoped Labour would roll back the anti-protest legislation, snooper's charter, internet censorship and voter ID laws. After all, it was mostly left-wing climate protesters getting arrested, and young (more left-leaning) voters being prevented from voting. Turns out no, quite the oppos…

> Turns out no, quite the opposite - if anything, Labour thinks these laws didn't go far enough.

That's basically how the news, including the BBC, tend to report on these laws. "Some think they are good. Others think they don't go far enough. Experts say risk remains." Never ever do they interview the EFF.

Re: UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors

#34

Post by dmitrygr » Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 3:37 AM UTC

michaelt wrote: post #10

cedws wrote: post #3

Nobody voted for this. I'm pretty cynical about both the current and previous government, but it feels like there's been a shift since Labour came into power. Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. There was chatter but it was met with resistance. Now it feels like the discussion is being squashed and there are invisible forces at work. If by some miracle the UK and EU agree on a new Youth Mob…

> it feels like there's been a shift since Labour came into power. Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. I had hoped Labour would roll back the anti-protest legislation, snooper's charter, internet censorship and voter ID laws. After all, it was mostly left-wing climate protesters getting arrested, and young (more left-leaning) voters being prevented from voting. Turns out no, quite the oppos…

> After all, it was mostly left-wing climate protesters getting arrested, and young (more left-leaning) voters being prevented from voting

Quite a mistake to think politicians would act to better anyone's lives, including those who helped elect them.

Re: UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors

#35

Post by dmitrygr » Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 3:41 AM UTC

ryandrake wrote: post #20

Xiol wrote: post #2

> It starts with child abuse material, because who’s going to defend not catching that? After the recent X CSAM generation arguments and the potential for X to get blocked in the UK, it seems like more people than I expected will defend it.

There were people on HN defending it. Although I'm sure they're 99% defending Musk, and only because they reflexively jump into defense mode any time one of his companies' wrongdoing is discussed. If it were Adobe's or Microsoft's products generating CSAM, you wouldn't hear a peep out of them

I will defend absolute freedom of all speech by Musk and against Musk. By Adobe and against Adobe. My Microsoft and against Microsoft. By you and against you. By me and against me. Unlike many who merely theorize about this from their armchairs, I've lived in a place without free speech and I know what that leads to, how fast, and how hard it is to get out of that hole. There is no such thing as "let's just have a little less freedom of speech". It either exists or very quickly it does not.

Re: UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors

#36

Post by Canada » Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 6:39 AM UTC

Xiol wrote: post #2

> It starts with child abuse material, because who’s going to defend not catching that? After the recent X CSAM generation arguments and the potential for X to get blocked in the UK, it seems like more people than I expected will defend it.

The same pretext has been deployed in Australia as well. I'm not sure if the Carney government will also try.

I don't think anyone is defending it. It's all astroturf.

Re: UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors

#37

Post by Tepix » Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 6:46 AM UTC

cedws wrote: post #3

Nobody voted for this. I'm pretty cynical about both the current and previous government, but it feels like there's been a shift since Labour came into power. Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. There was chatter but it was met with resistance. Now it feels like the discussion is being squashed and there are invisible forces at work. If by some miracle the UK and EU agree on a new Youth Mob…

> Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back.

That‘s not my impression at all about the UK. They are known for mass CCTV surveillance since more than a decade. There’s even a wikipedia page for it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_surveillance_in_the_Unite...

Re: UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors

#38

Post by Flere-Imsaho » Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 8:20 AM UTC

Tepix wrote: post #37

cedws wrote: post #3

Nobody voted for this. I'm pretty cynical about both the current and previous government, but it feels like there's been a shift since Labour came into power. Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. There was chatter but it was met with resistance. Now it feels like the discussion is being squashed and there are invisible forces at work. If by some miracle the UK and EU agree on a new Youth Mob…

> Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. That‘s not my impression at all about the UK. They are known for mass CCTV surveillance since more than a decade. There’s even a wikipedia page for it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_surveillance_in_the_Unite...

There's a difference between filming the public in public-spaces (which is what the mass CCTV surveillance does) and reading everyone's private messages and every image uploaded from their devices. This is a step chance (if it goes ahead) and doesn't feel very different from what the Chinese State is doing to its citizens.

Re: UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors

#39

Post by Uzomidy » Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 8:30 AM UTC

like_any_other wrote: post #33

michaelt wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it feels like there's been a shift since Labour came into power. Historically this overbearing surveillance has been held back. I had hoped Labour would roll back the anti-protest legislation, snooper's charter, internet censorship and voter ID laws. After all, it was mostly left-wing climate protesters getting arrested, and young (more left-leaning) voters being prevented from voting. Turns out no, quite the oppos…

> Turns out no, quite the opposite - if anything, Labour thinks these laws didn't go far enough. That's basically how the news, including the BBC, tend to report on these laws. "Some think they are good. Others think they don't go far enough. Experts say risk remains." Never ever do they interview the EFF.

The BBC was always pretty establishment, but now they're very afraid of seeming “left wing”, and so we get this…

Re: UK Orders Ofcom to Explore Encryption Backdoors

#40

Post by Flere-Imsaho » Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 8:32 AM UTC

harel wrote: post #19

I don't know what happened that the UK got to the state it is in. It's not just a war on "general computing" as someone said here. It feels like a war on the "general population".

A term I learnt recently:

"Anarcho-Tyranny"

From Gemini:

"The concept was coined in the early 1990s by political theorist Samuel Francis. He described it as a state where the government performs its basic duty of public safety poorly (allowing "anarchy" among criminals) but creates a web of bureaucracy and surveillance to control the innocent (imposing "tyranny" on the law-abiding)."

This is exactly I how feel.