UK warns building Signal style apps could be hostile activity

Developers who build encrypted messaging apps like Signal or WhatsApp could be treated as hostile actors in the UK, according to a new government review. The warning comes from Jonathan Hall KC, the Independent Reviewer of State Threats and Terrorism Legislation, in a report on UK national security laws. Hall said app makers could fit the definition of hostile activity because their tools make surveillance harder. He wrote it may serve foreign interests even if "the foreign state has never contemplated this potential advantage." The report also flags journalists carrying confidential files, including material "personally embarrassing to the Prime Minister on the eve of important treaty negotiations," as potentially drawing similar scrutiny. The review lands amid growing pressure on encryption. Apple recently disabled its Advanced Data Protection in the UK after a demand under the Investigatory Powers Act to weaken iCloud security. Parliament also debated tougher enforcement of the Online Safety Act this week. Signal and WhatsApp have said they would leave the UK rather than compromise encryption, a standoff that now feels less theoretical.