[Opinion. I subscribe to a few Substacks, none of which I find very satisfying. Just today, I was asked to provide either a selfie or ID. When I got to “Canada”, it froze and wouldn’t let me in. There must be a kiddieporn Substack!]

Signal says UK plan to scan devices for nude images 'endangers us all'

Encrypted messaging app warns device-level checks could be repurposed for censorship

Connor Jones

The Register:  09 Jun 2026

Signal insists that plans to compel tech companies to scan devices for nude images of children announced by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday at London Tech Week "will not keep children safe."

"It endangers us all," the encrypted messaging platform said, adding that the mechanism required to implement it would be "dangerous and dystopian."

Signal argues that the proposed technology could at some point be repurposed to enable state-sponsored surveillance of all citizens' comms, or used as a mass censorship tool.

"Forcing all UK residents to prove their age and/or have all their content scanned, simply to exercise their fundamental right to communicate, is a perilous proposition," Signal stated. 

"We know that mass surveillance and censorship capabilities, however sincere-sounding the promises of those who initiate them are, never remain narrowly scoped. Once created, they will be expanded, forming a dangerous tool that will be wielded both in the UK and abroad to censor and surveil whatever they might consider 'threats' or 'harmful content.'"

just use vpn no,pomplem

On 6/13/2026 at 6:14 PM, 3NUMBAS said:

just use vpn no,pomplem

How will a VPN prevent your phone from being scanned?

8 minutes ago, JayClay said:

How will a VPN prevent your phone from being scanned?

Haha,, but Steganography would, but then anyone using non compressed image formats would become an aledged pedophile...