In the event that he’s re-elected, British Prime Minister David Cameron has made it clear that he would consider putting legislation into place that would ban encrypted messaging apps such as Snapchat and WhatsApp unless they agree to make their data available to intelligence agencies. He cited the recent attacks in Paris during the announcement of this plan. 

In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, David Cameron has announced plans to introduce significant new surveillance powers in the UK, the Independent is reporting. The British Prime Minister also signalled he intends to crack down on encrypted communications the government can’t crack — suggesting a slew of popular communications platforms could be outlawed in Britain. Speaking on Monday, the Prime Minister asked whether “we want to allow a means of communication between two people which even in extemis with a signed warrant from the home secretary personally that we cannot read? …My answer to that question is no, we must not. The first duty of any government is to keep our country and our people safe.”