Millions of children will be put at greater risk of exploitation and grooming by plans from tech giants to expand encrypted messaging, the Children’s Commissioner for England has warned.
Anne Longfield sounded the alarm over plans for extra encryption on chat services such as Facebook Messenger and Instagram, which are routinely used by young people.
The move would hamper efforts to stamp out child sexual exploitation and abuse, as messages cannot be scrutinised by the platform or the police and prosecutors, she said.
Direct messaging apps can conceal serious crimes against children, including grooming, exploitation and the sharing of child sexual abuse material.
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