Irish public has ‘clear distrust’ of proposals to allow State access private messages
A new survey indicates that two-thirds of Irish adults distrust current or future government proposals to access encrypted private messages on apps like WhatsApp or Signal. The poll coincides with plans by the justice minister to introduce legislation allowing law enforcement interception of communications.
Why it matters
The findings highlight growing public concern regarding digital privacy and state surveillance powers, setting up potential legislative clashes over encryption.
Two thirds of 1,000-plus Irish adults surveyed said they would not trust the current or a future government with a power to access encrypted messages on apps such as WhatsApp or Signal. Picture: iStock
The public has “significant and clear distrust” of allowing the State to access private phone messages, according to a survey, amid a bid by the justice minister to intercept encrypted communications.
The poll shows Irish people, across political party affiliations, overwhelmingly believe that they should be able to conduct private conversations online, and the Government should not be able to access such messages without a court order.
Two thirds of more than 1,000 Irish adults surveyed said that they would not trust the current or a future government to have the power to access encrypted messages on messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Signal.
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