Signal, the encrypted messaging platform focused on privacy, has raised concerns over proposed UK child online safety measures, warning that they could expand surveillance and weaken digital privacy protections.

In a statement issued on June 8, Signal said that while protecting children online is essential, proposed mandatory age verification and device-level content scanning would be ineffective and could introduce broader surveillance risks.

The company argued that scanning devices used in the UK for nudity, alongside age verification systems, could create infrastructure that might later be used to monitor additional types of content beyond its original purpose.

Signal also cautioned that such regulations could reinforce the market power of major technology companies by increasing their control over users’ personal data.

The comments come amid reports that the UK government has urged tech firms such as Apple and Google to implement measures to block access to nude images on devices used by minors.

According to a Home Office announcement dated June 8, 2026, companies have been given a three-month deadline to activate or introduce technical solutions capable of detecting and blocking explicit images on smartphones and tablets.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also reportedly instructed companies to enable existing safety tools or update software to prevent under-18s from creating, sending, or viewing sexually explicit content on their devices, the BBC reported.

Signal, which uses end-to-end encryption, said child protection efforts should instead focus on education, social services, and safeguards around emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, rather than what it described as “surveillance infrastructure.”