Dear Editor,
Adults in Wales have made their concerns about Facebook’s encryption plans clear, with almost three out of four polled saying they don’t think the site is safe for children.
I agree, and it’s a huge worry that the tech giant is currently turning a blind eye to online abuse – it cannot be allowed to continue.
Its plans to encrypt messages on Facebook and Instagram, as they stand, will give offenders a free pass to abuse children while it looks the other way. It must rethink it.
More than half of those surveyed in the NSPCC / Savanta ComRes poll believe Facebook is failing in its duty of care to protect children, with a lowly 18% believing that the tech giant is taking the safety of children using the site seriously.
We know that in 2018/19, there were more than 200 recorded online child sex crimes in Wales, in which more than half either Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp were used.
Facebook’s careless approach risks creating a one stop grooming shop if they don’t include strong safeguards that protect children in their encryption plan.
I would urge readers to sign the NSPCC’s open letter to Facebook demanding they put children first as part of our Wild West Web campaign.
Des Mannion
Head of Service for NSPCC Cymru / Wales
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