UK to ban encrypted messenger services to combat the specter of ISIS

[Renegade]

From the you-just-cannot-make-this-stuff-up department:

http://techti.me/2015/07/14/uk-to-ban-encrypted-messenger-services-to-combat-the-specter-of-isis/

British Prime Minister David Cameron hopes to have access to all means of electronic communication by anyone in the country and ban the use of encrypted apps such as Facebook Messenger, Snapchat and iMessage unless they agree to provide backdoors.

Now... just to put this in perspective... everything is so utterly insane and upside down that I've not seen this particular tidbit picked up at Techdirt. 

[Deozaan]

Yes. Perfect plan! Because criminals obey all laws, especially the ones that ban them from doing certain things or using certain things.

And we will soon be able to enjoy all communication of the UK government, as well as access to all UK bank accounts.

[Edvard]

... and now you know what ISIS is really for.

*edvard ducks and covers in the basement

[Shades]

People who really want <whatever>, will <whatever>.

Read somewhere that communication takes place on web accounts where someone writes a message and leaves it open without finishing it. The party for whom the message is intended logs into the same account, sees the open message and does whatever with it. No need for encryption and it will take major effort on the spying party to get to the information they seek. Especially when that is done on random intervals on different locations. No need for encryption and hiding in "plain sight", so to speak. 

And those UK parliament nitwits want access to encrypted traffic (customer-bank communication, communication between different energy companies and customers, etc)? Aren't there national lawyers in the UK to fight for prevention of (digital) identity theft by criminals and/or government? Note that I still make a distinction between them, although I am not so sure I should nowadays.

[e712]

In history, in case you think our times unique, Turkey banned the typewriter.  It made it too difficult to capture kidnappers from examining their ransom notes.