While the United Kingdom is on its way to becoming a police state, Bitcoin and digital currency based companies have started exploring other alternatives. The overtly paranoid government is currently planning to crackdown on encryption systems which prevents the government from monitoring any communications happening over the platform. Crackdown on the right to privacy is next to human rights in UKs list.
United Kingdom is alleged to have violated various rights and international laws in the recent years both inside and outside its territory. The country has already been accused of mistreating refugees, being involved in illegal detention and torture in various black sites scattered across the world along with US agencies. Now, following the recent terrorist attack in Tunisia that killed about 30 UK citizens, there has been renewed calls inside the government to put an end to encrypted communication services including social networks and chat clients like WhatsApp and Telegram.
The government is planning to bring in a regulatory regime which can possibly ban Apple messages, WhatsApp, Telegram, PGP and other existing systems at their current form. It may also force companies to include backdoors into their encrypted systems allowing government agencies to gain access it whenever needed.
The proposed plans affecting encryption technologies seems to have claimed its first casualty in the form of Eris Industries, a company that helps create distributed Blockchain and smart contract applications for other companies. Eris Industries has announced its plans to shift its headquarters from London to North America if these encryption regulations are introduced.
Eris Industries is not the only company that is planning to relocate, there are other companies which may follow suit. However, implementing a complete ban on encryption is virtually impossible, as some argue and this is not the first time a government has taken a critical stance against encryption. It has happened once before in early 90s in the United States and eventually discarded. Companies have options to change their base from UK and USA to incorporate in friendly jurisdictions like Lithuania or Luxemburg.