‘Surveillance is not safety’ — UK’s device scanning order faces privacy backlash | Tech Radar

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‘Surveillance is not safety’ — UK’s device scanning order faces privacy backlash

Signal warns that the ultimatum undermines end-to-end encryption

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UK government announces three-month ultimatum for big tech companies to improve child safety

Privacy advocates warn the mandate could undermine privacy

Signal is among those warning that the proposal will create more harm than good

The UK's plan to become "the first country" in the world where children are prevented from accessing explicit pictures on their devices is facing a growing backlash among privacy advocates and tech companies.

On Monday (June 8), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took the stage at London Tech Week to give major tech firms, including Apple and Google, a three-month ultimatum "to prevent children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images."

End-to-end encrypted messaging app provider Signal was quick to publicly respond to Starmer's announcement, warning that the proposal won't safeguard children but will endanger all citizens instead.

In a post on X, VPN provider Nym VPN argued that the mandate could usher in automated mass surveillance on consumer hardware. Meanwhile, UK-based digital rights group Big Brother Watch warned that these new obligations will lead to "the death of anonymity and internet privacy."

However, Starmer appears determined to implement these new safeguards. "I expect tech firms to make that happen. This is not an impossible challenge," Starmer said during the official announcement.

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Tech companies have until September to comply with the new rules. "But if they choose not to, then we will act and change the law," Starmer added.

The development comes as the government is expected to release the results of its consultation on children’s use of social media, which could introduce age restrictions on using VPN services.

(Image credit: Photo by Isabel Infantes - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The UK plan requires smartphone and tablet manufacturers like Apple and Google to activate built-in features or other technical solutions on smartphones and tablets "to detect and block nude images for children."

These changes are expected to apply to all UK devices, including both existing and newly sold smartphones and tablets, while new legislation could impact operating system providers and other companies involved in the devices' supply chain, such as retailers.

The government maintains that these features won't affect devices owned and used by adults who verify their age. However, this likely means everyone will be required to verify their identities to continue using their devices normally.

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These requirements follow Apple's recent decision to introduce broader child safety features and age checks for UK i Phone users — but the government's new ultimatum goes a step further.

As the government notes, nudity detection tools do not currently impact children's use of the camera, third-party messaging services, or search functions. Consequently, children may still be exposed to inappropriate material.

"The government therefore wants Apple and Google to block nudity across the whole device by default, so they can only be deactivated via age assurance," the announcement reads.

In an open letter, Signal criticized the requirements as "dystopian," arguing that "surveillance is not safety."

According to the secure messaging service, forcing all UK residents to prove their age or have all their content scanned creates a dangerous precedent.

"We know that mass surveillance and censorship capabilities, however sincere-sounding the promises of those who initiate them are, never remain narrowly scoped," the letter reads.

Signal also argued that these requirements will not keep children safe, stating that children "deserve their human right to privacy."

Our statement on the UK government’s demand that all content on all devices sold or used in the country be scanned, on the presumption of nudity, using a dystopian combination of age verification and content scanning. This proposal will not safeguard children. It endangers us…June 8, 2026

Echoing Signal's concerns, Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, also argued that the plan will fail to address the underlying causes of online harm.

"This will only result in population-wide ID checks for all of us to use our phones, tablets, and laptops," she said.

Beyond these "intrusive identity checks," Carlo warned of the unintended consequences of enforcing device-level restrictions on messaging, streaming, and browsing.

She stated that these mechanisms could "raise the potential of spyware in our pockets that will be exploited for other purposes before long."

Digital rights advocates have long warned about the privacy implications of mandatory age verification and scanning obligations. Recently, a coalition of over 400 scientists called for a halt on age checks until a "scientific consensus" is reached on the balance of benefits versus harm to the wider population.

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Chiara is a multimedia journalist committed to covering stories to help promote the rights and denounce the abuses of the digital side of life – wherever cybersecurity, markets, and politics tangle up. She believes an open, uncensored, and private internet is a basic human need and wants to use her knowledge of VPNs to help readers take back control. She writes news, interviews, and analysis on data privacy, online censorship, digital rights, tech policies, and security software, with a special focus on VPNs, for Tech Radar and Tech Radar Pro. Got a story, tip-off, or something tech-interesting to say? Reach out to chiara.castro@futurenet.com

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