There's a lot going around today about #encryption and Client-Side Scanning (#CSS) in the context of people’s private conversations on social media platforms and messenger apps. Why should you care? 🧵

#Encryption is essential for private, trustworthy digital communications. When you send an end-to-end encrypted message, you can be confident that only you and your recipient can see the contents.

This end-to-end encryption protects us all, and especially journalists, human rights defenders, people seeking abortions in places where it is criminalised and those in repressive states.

Encryption also protects people building communities and solidarity, such as LGBTQ+ people, or people developing their sense of self and identity online - including children (as recognised by the UN & UNICEF).

As the US Trafficking Hotline points out, authorities sometimes treat encryption as a 'boogeyman' and blame it for horrific crimes. But this approach demonises vital tech & fails to keep young people safe. https://t.co/DyOaMQbgIK

Last year, Apple notoriously attempted to introduce a technique called Client-Side Scanning (#CSS) to detect abuse material. They had to ditch these plans after such methods were shown to pose a huge threat to encryption & human rights: https://appleprivacyletter.com

Research from experts in cybersecurity & privacy around the world have been clear that CSS is not compatible with privacy, security & other human rights. To give just one example: https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.07450

Undermining encryption for everyone won't stop abusers. It won't make young people safer, and it comes with unacceptable risks to everyone’s rights as well as broader democratic society. We must #KeepItSecure https://edri.org/take-action/our-campaigns/keep-it-secure/