The thing is, technically it’s impossible. There is no real way to create a back door or to weaken encryption of UK user’s data that does not also impact others — if nothing else, the existence of that door means it will be abused, and digital criminals are quite sufficiently well-resourced to find that weakness, exploit, and extend it. Just look at the existence of the highly profitable surveillance-as-a-service “industry” for proof. In other words, the UK’s demand still undermines the rights enjoyed by US users. 

Dangerous overreach

The other thing is that the UK plan can’t work. Anyone who understands technology and values data privacy will simply add additional encryption to the files they store online, using tools like Cryptomator. That means the only people who will be affected by the rule will be ordinary folk, rather than criminals. That suggests the UK agenda is not about crime prevention, but more likely concerned with wider exploitation of the data made available. Such intentions don’t appear to have been discussed in public, which hints the UK public would probably reject them if it knew. 

That’s the worst thing about the UK’s determination to continue down this dangerous road; not only is it refusing to listen to common sense about the dangers of weakening data protection, but it is also making moves that would be unpopular with no transparency at all.