Petitions/Ban client side scanning (CSS) of private communications on personal devices
StatusOngoing
Opened23 Feb 2026
Closes
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

We ask the government to: - Prohibit any requirement for client side scanning on consumer devices. - Reaffirm its commitment to safeguarding democratic freedoms, protecting human rights, and preserving the security of its citizens’ digital communications.

In our view, CSS is mass surveillance that could scan every private message, eroding the privacy rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights and undermining democratic liberty. We believe that technically, it creates a universal backdoor: any state or malicious actor could exploit the on device scanning technology, exposing personal, financial and health data. We do not believe that enabling scanning technology that only targets illegal content is possible; once the code exists, it can be repurposed, and our privacy no longer exists.

1,363Total signatures
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Constituency engagement ranking

Lucy Rigby
1Lucy Rigby MP
Northampton North
11
Matt Rodda
2Matt Rodda MP
Reading Central
11
Shockat Adam
3Shockat Adam MP
Leicester South
10
Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
4Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP
Slough
10
Barry Gardiner
5Barry Gardiner MP
Brent West
8
Carla Denyer
6Carla Denyer MP
Bristol Central
8
Ms Diane Abbott
7Ms Diane Abbott MP
Hackney North and Stoke Newington
8
Catherine West
8Catherine West MP
Hornsey and Friern Barnet
8
Jeremy Corbyn
9Jeremy Corbyn MP
Islington North
8
Emily Thornberry
10Emily Thornberry MP
Islington South and Finsbury
8