The U.S. and the U.K. are expected to sign a new treaty in October that will see social media platforms, such as Facebook Inc. and WhatsApp Inc., share encrypted messages of suspected individuals with the British police, The Times reported, without citing sources.
Under the agreement, the social media companies will hand over information to police, security services and prosecutors to support their investigations into people who have been suspected of serious criminal offenses, including terrorism and sexual abuse.
Both countries will not target each other's citizens, while the U.S., without the U.K.'s permission, will not be able to use information gathered from British companies in any cases carrying the death penalty, according to the report.
U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel has already warned companies about the dangers and risk of empowering criminals and terrorists through end-to-end encrypted messaging.
