Will WhatsApp be banned?

If, like many, you rely on WhatsApp to keep in contact with everyone from your family to your employer, you may have to move back to old-fashioned text messaging in just a matter of weeks, as the app faces the axe under strict new laws on social media and online messaging services.

The Investigatory Powers Bill - or ‘Snoopers Charter’ as it’s otherwise known - would allow the government to ban instant messaging apps that refuse to remove end-to-end encryption, and Prime Minister David Cameron is keen to press ahead with the new legislation.

Cameron hinted at a crackdown earlier this year in the aftermath of the Paris shootings, claiming that he would have no problem banning popular services like Snapchat if they didn’t fall in line with the new measures.

“In our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people which we cannot read?” said Prime Minister Cameron earlier this year.

"My answer to that question is: 'No, we must not’.”

If the ban goes ahead, apps like iMessage and Snapchat, which scramble communications between users, could also face the ban under the act – which requires internet service providers, phone companies and technology firms like Google, Apple, Facebook and WhatsApp keep a record of user’s activity.

The recent spate of terrorist attacks – including the shooting of 30 Britons on a beach in Tunisia – has prompted the Conservative Government to act fast.

With Home Secretary Theresa May warning that the ‘Snoopers Charter’ could be passed this autumn, we suggest you enjoy the app while you can - the future is looking troublingly uncertain for WhatsApp.

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