UK cybersecurity chiefs back plan to scan phones for child abuse images

Heads of GCHQ and NCSC say client-side scanning could protect children and privacy at the same time

Tech companies should move ahead with controversial technology that scans for child abuse imagery on users' phones, the technical heads of GCHQ and the UK's National Cybersecurity Centre have said.

So-called client-side scanning" would involve service providers such as Facebook or Apple building software that monitors communications for suspicious activity without needing to share the contents of messages with a centralised server.