The spy clause that has tech companies mulling their future in the U.K.

From American public media, this is Marketplace Tech.

I'm Lili Jamali.

The U.K.'s online safety bill is on Parliament's agenda, as members return next week, supporters

promise it would make Britain the safest place in the world to be online, protecting

especially kids from harmful content.

But while acknowledging its intent, U.S. tech executives say it deals a major blow to

privacy.

Meredith Whitaker, president of the nonprofit encrypted messaging app signal, is an outspoken

critic.

She's concerned by a clause that lets British regulators mandate that citizens install

surveillance software.

And this would be in the name of detecting harmful expression, harmful content, particularly

content related to child abuse.

Now, of course, this raises a whole host of civil liberties concerns.

You know, we're hoping that by talking to legislators, we can set the record straight

and get an amendment added to the bill that would make clear that this is not intended

to undermine the fundamental security and safety of the U.K.'s communications infrastructure.

What are the options here?

If this bill becomes law with this clause included, do you change the way that you operate?

We at Signal are committed to providing a tool for meaningful private communication for

everyone across the globe.

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