The encrypted messaging platform Signal and privacy-focused VPN provider Mullvad have sharply criticized a new UK government proposal that would require technology companies to block children from taking, sharing, or viewing nude images on smartphones and tablets.
Both companies argue that the plan risks creating device-level surveillance systems that could undermine privacy and user control.
The criticism follows an announcement by Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government during London Tech Week. Under the proposal, major technology firms, including Apple and Google, would have three months to enable existing safety features or develop new technical measures to detect and block nude content for children across devices sold or used in the UK.
If companies fail to comply voluntarily, the government says it is prepared to introduce legislation requiring implementation, potentially backed by fines and, as a last resort, criminal liability for executives.
The proposal would apply to both new and existing smartphones and tablets in the UK. Adults would retain access to nude or sexually explicit content after completing an age-verification process, while children would be prevented from creating, viewing, saving, or sharing such material.
The UK government argues the measures are necessary to combat online child sexual abuse, sextortion, and children's exposure to pornography. Officials cited statistics showing that 91% of online child sexual abuse reports recorded in 2024 involved self-generated content and that the average child is exposed to pornography by age 13.
In a statement published yesterday, Signal said the government's demand would require all content on UK devices to be scanned for nudity using a combination of age-verification and content-detection technologies.
Signal and Mullvad issue warnings
Signal argued that forcing residents to verify their age or submit device content to scanning systems to communicate constitutes a form of mass surveillance. It further warned that once such infrastructure exists, its use could expand beyond its original purpose.
According to Signal, safeguards claiming the technology would operate solely on-device do not eliminate the broader privacy risks. The organization contends that future governments could expand the scope of content detection systems to monitor additional categories of material beyond nudity.
Signal also disputed the government's claim that the proposal would improve child safety, arguing that investments in education, social services, and stronger oversight of online platforms would be more effective responses.
In a statement posted on social media, Mullvad characterized the proposal as requiring “government spyware” on every mobile device. The company argued that any system capable of continuously monitoring content across applications and blocking material in real time would necessarily require extensive access to devices and operating systems.
Mullvad further claimed that implementing such controls could require device lockdown measures that restrict users' ability to disable the software or install alternative operating systems. The company also raised concerns about what it described as growing cooperation between governments and dominant mobile platform providers, specifically Google and Apple.
The UK government maintains that the measures can be implemented without compromising user privacy. The Home Office stated that companies must introduce protections “without threatening privacy or collecting any data,” emphasizing that content analysis should occur directly on devices rather than through cloud-based monitoring systems.
Officials pointed to existing technologies, including Apple's child-safety features and software developed by UK safety technology company SafeToNet, as evidence that device-level content detection can be deployed while keeping data local.
The proposal has already received support from several child-protection organizations, including the Internet Watch Foundation, NSPCC, Barnardo's, Women's Aid, and the Children's Commissioner for England, which argue that device-level safeguards could significantly reduce the creation and circulation of child sexual abuse material.
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