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Ofcom wants to double down on file monitoring in 2026

Date:
Fri, 05 Dec 2025 12:42:50 +0000

Description:
Experts are concerned about the precedent it may set for users' privacy,
despite Ofcom ensuring that measures should not break "end-to-end encryption."

FULL STORY

Having implemented one of the world's strictest age verification regimes, the
UK is now considering extending its obligations on cloud storage, 
file-sharing and other apps to help make the internet a safer place for
children. 

In its first report on the Online Safety Act's impact, Ofcom pledged to
"expand our focus to other service providers who present the highest risk of
CSAM [child sexual abuse material] to ensure stronger protections" in 2026. 

Some of this work has already begun, with Ofcom confirming that many large 
and medium-sized file-sharing platforms voluntarily implemented technology to
detect this type of content, while others have decided to leave the market
altogether. 

After a four-month consultation period that ended in October, Ofcom is now
assessing calls from industry and civil society to expand the law's codes of
practice. A report is expected next year. 

However, Ofcom's proposed increased monitoring has led experts to warn the
agency could be setting a dangerous precedent while doing "little to protect
children." 

While it's not clear which other platforms will be affected, Ofcom told
TechRadar that "our measures do not recommend that providers use proactive
technology to analyze privately communicated content or metadata."

The encryption conondrum

The push for CSAM monitoring in the UK echoes similar efforts in the EU, 
where the so-called Chat Control proposal has attracted strong criticism from
technologists, privacy experts, and politicians alike due to its potential to
lead to the surveillance of private communications. 

Like in Europe, experts in the UK fear that encryption may become a casualty
in the battle to keep children safe online. 

Apple has already withdrawn its iCloud's advanced encryption protection from
the UK market after being served with a technical notice to create a 
backdoor. However, this order was issued under the Investigatory Powers Act,
not the Online Safety Act. Do you know? (Image credit: Getty Images)
Encryption is the tech that secure messaging apps, cloud storage, and VPN
services use to prevent their users' data from third-party monitoring
themselves included. 

When we asked for clarification on its plans, an Ofcom spokesperson said the
agency is considering measures that automatically detect illegal content and
content harmful to children called ' hash matching .' However, "the proposals
do not recommend services break end-to-end encryption," Ofcom said. 

According to Internet Society's Senior Director for Internet Trust, Robin
Wilton, this suggests that any scanning would have to occur before the file
becomes encrypted. "That would mean the service would have to have a
client-side component to do that scanning," Wilton said. 

Client-side scanning was previously halted under the Online Safety Act until
it was "technically feasible to do so." Experts in Europe have been very
critical of this type of scanning, arguing that it will create a 
vulnerability in the system even when it occurs before the content gets
encrypted, with Signal comparing client-side scanning to malware on your
device . 

Two providers leaving the UK market, Krakenfiles and Nippydrive, offer
end-to-end encrypted services, which may suggest they had concerns for the
integrity of their systems. 

As of today, the likes of Proton Drive and NordVPN's Meshnet are yet to be
impacted by new requirements, the companies told TechRadar. 

For Wilton, though, the stakes are even higher. "If Ofcom continues with this
policy, UK users will no longer have access to cloud storage that technically
prevents third-party access to their data," he said. 

In its report, Ofcom repeatedly states that 2026 will see CSAM monitoring
duties strengthened on more cloud storage and file-sharing apps, while
extending to other user-to-user services. 

So there's a chance that other applications we all use regularly could soon
become targets of increased monitoring. We will continue to monitor the
situation and assess its impact on people's privacy. 

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/ofcom-wants-to-double-down-
on-file-monitoring-in-2026

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