PRIVACY campaigners have accused ministers of launching a “manipulative and biased” campaign to turn public opinion against end-to-end encryption in messaging apps.  

The Home Office has hired an advertising agency to plan a publicly funded campaign against encryption services, it emerged last month.

Its campaign, which comes as Facebook plans to extend end-to-end encryption to its other apps, will claim that the service puts children at risk of predators. 

Apps such as Whatsapp, Signal and Telegram use end-to-end encryption services, meaning that messages between the sender and recipient cannot be intercepted. 

In an open letter signed by more than 40 civil society groups, including Index on Censorship, the Internet Society and human rights group Article 19, and published today, campaigners accuse the government of using “scare tactics” to sway public opinion. 

“Undermining encryption would make our private communications unsafe, allowing hostile strangers and governments to intercept conversations,” the letter warns.

“Survivors of abuse or domestic violence, including children, need secure and confidential communications to speak to loved ones and access the information and support they need.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel has previously stated that Facebook’s plans to introduce end-to-end encryption are “not acceptable” and has put pressure on Whatsapp to remove encrypted communications.

Whatsapp has hit back, calling the attacks on privacy “Orwellian.” 

Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group said: “The way the government has been using scare tactics damages trust with its citizens.

“The government exploiting emotive narratives for their campaign is manipulative and does not provide a balanced view. The truth is that encryption is vital for online safety.”

This was recently supported by the Information Commissioner’s Office, which said that encrypted communications strengthen online safety for children by reducing their exposure to threats such as blackmail.