British public overwhelmingly rejects government access to encrypted messages

Research funded by the Center for Democracy & Technology revealed that British adults strongly resist government intrusion into encrypted messaging. The poll, conducted by Public First in April, reported that 93% claim a right to private online chats and 89% demand a court order before anyone can access them. Trust in any government—current or future—to wield such authority sits at roughly two-thirds negative, with similar distrust among Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and Reform voters.

When asked about secret orders allowing companies to hand over data without disclosure, only 12% approved, while 41% called for greater transparency and 33% opposed the power outright. Security worries dominate, as 84% fear new access mechanisms could create hacker vulnerabilities and 82% worry about abuse, leading 65% to say they would be more cautious online and 41% to consider censoring criticism of officials. The findings arrive amid ongoing disputes over the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act and Apple’s withdrawal of advanced encryption features for UK users.