Dec 13, 2023
Facebook encryption risks children's safety, National Crime Agency warns
Police could lose most of the reports they receive about children at risk on Facebook because of a move to encrypt the platform, the National Crime Agency has said. As a result, "That platform is not as safe as it was for children," the NCA's director general of operations Rob Jones told reporters, adding that he would advise parents to "Think very carefully" about allowing their children to use it. The NCA is concerned that children go onto Facebook pretending to be adults, while paedophiles "Masquerade as children" to get in contact with them. The agency, sometimes described as "Britain's FBI", currently receives reports of children at risk on Facebook and Instagram via the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Persons. The government supports end-to-end encryption but ministers are demanding safety measures to detect of grooming and child sexual abuse material.
Related companies
Make a complaint about Facebook or National by viewing their customer service contacts.
