Signal’s president Meredith Whittaker has drawn a hard line in the sand. The encrypted messaging app will leave the UK entirely before it weakens its encryption protocols to satisfy government regulators.
Whittaker’s warning isn’t new, but it’s getting louder. On June 8, 2026, the Signal Foundation published a statement titled “Surveillance Is Not Safety,” taking direct aim at UK proposals that would require phone screening and content scanning capabilities, measures that privacy advocates argue would functionally destroy end-to-end encryption.
What the UK wants, and why Signal won’t comply
The roots of this standoff trace back to the UK’s Online Safety Act, which received royal assent in October 2023. The law grants Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, the authority to impose measures against illegal content on messaging platforms. In practice, it creates a framework where regulators can demand that platforms scan encrypted messages for prohibited material.
Whittaker has been unambiguous about where Signal stands. She stated that Signal would “absolutely, 100% walk” from the UK rather than weaken its encryption protocols. Signal is a nonprofit. It doesn’t have shareholders demanding UK market retention at any cost.
