This decision comes after the recent terrorist attacks in the country and a shoot-out in Tunisia in which 27 Britons were killed.
The popular messaging applications, including WhatsApp, Snapchat, iMessage and Facebook Messenger, could all potentially be banned in the UK under the controversial 'Snoopers Charter'.
The Investigatory Powers Bill -- the so-called Snoopers Charter -- mentioned in the 2015 Queen's Speech, would allow UK government to eradicate instant messaging apps that refuse to switch off end-to-end encryption from their services.
Besides WhatsApp, other messaging services like iMessage and Snapchat are also facing ban as they currently scramble communications between their users. "In our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people which we cannot read? My answer to that question is: ‘No, we must not", Cameron said earlier this year.
“We have always been able, on the authority of the home secretary, to sign a warrant and intercept a phone call, a mobile phone call or other media communications.” He said. However, many people have objected the decision and termed it as a breach of privacy. In a recent report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, called ‘Who Has Your Back?’ Whatsapp got the worst ranking and has been criticised at each level of measurement.
If you rely on messaging apps to remain in contact with your family members and friends, then you may have to switch back to old-fashioned text messaging service in matter of weeks due to a new law currently going through Parliament.
Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to pass a new legislation which plans ‘to stop people from sending any form of encrypted messages’.
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