The UK government has long been skeptical of Facebook’s plans to build end-to-end encryption into its products, believing that this technology could inadvertently give cover to child predators and other bad actors. However, these leaders went even further this week, calling on Facebook and other service providers to build software that would monitor users’ communications for suspicious activity.

Critics of this proposal say that non-technical solutions should be found to crack down on child predators so that all user privacy isn’t compromised. However, many child safety experts agreed with the framework. The head of child safety online policy at advocacy group NSPCC welcomed the proposal, calling it an “important and highly credible intervention” that “breaks through the false binary that children’s fundamental right to safety online can only be achieved at the expense of adult privacy.” He also said that “it’s clear that legislation can incentivize companies to develop technical solutions and deliver safer and more private online services.”

If this proposal or one like it ultimately comes to pass, it’s likely that Facebook and other tech giants will push back hard to protect user privacy. However, both sides have a valid point in this debate, and Facebook will have to compromise on privacy one way or the other.

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