Petition · Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Ban client side scanning (CSS) of private communications on personal devices
Open for signatures
346 signatures
What the petition asks
We ask the government to:
- Prohibit any requirement for client side scanning on consumer devices.
- Reaffirm its commitment to safeguarding democratic freedoms, protecting human rights, and preserving the security of its citizens’ digital communications.
- Prohibit any requirement for client side scanning on consumer devices.
- Reaffirm its commitment to safeguarding democratic freedoms, protecting human rights, and preserving the security of its citizens’ digital communications.
In our view, CSS is mass surveillance that could scan every private message, eroding the privacy rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights and undermining democratic liberty. We believe that technically, it creates a universal backdoor: any state or malicious actor could exploit the on device scanning technology, exposing personal, financial and health data. We do not believe that enabling scanning technology that only targets illegal content is possible; once the code exists, it can be repurposed, and our privacy no longer exists.
Timeline
| 23 Feb 2026 | Petition opened for signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
346
Status
Open for signatures
Department
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Opened
23 Feb 2026
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 26 Jul 2026.