WhatsApp has released an update allowing iPhone and Android users to send photos over the messaging platform in high resolution, finally addressing the service's low quality image sharing limitation. Previously, WhatsApp users sending photos would see the images automatically compressed and the resolution reduced to 920 x 1280 to save storage space and keep image-sharing fast over low bandwidth data connections. After updating, they'll have the option to send images to friends and family in "HD quality," which equates to 3024 x 4032 resolution. The rollout of the feature was announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg via a Facebook post. Version 23.16.0 of the app adds a "HD" button at the top of the photo sharing screen, next to the…

Apple says it would pull services such as iMessage and FaceTime from the UK rather than obliterate customers’ security and privacy if new proposals to destroy end-to-end encryption are made law and acted upon as the government fumbles toward updating its so-called Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) 2016. The UK government wants messaging services to seek approval for security features before releasing them to customers. The act lets the UK government demand that security features such as end-to-end encryption be disabled immediately upon request, without telling end users. Zoe Kleinman for BBC News: Many messaging services currently offer end-to-end encryption – so messages can be unscrambled by only the devices sending and receiving them. WhatsApp and Signal are among the platforms…

Apple says it would pull services such as iMessage and FaceTime from the UK rather than obliterate customers’ security and privacy if new proposals to destroy end-to-end encryption are made law and acted upon as the government fumbles toward updating its so-called Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) 2016. The UK government wants messaging services to seek approval for security features before releasing them to customers. The act lets the UK government demand that security features such as end-to-end encryption be disabled immediately upon request, without telling end users. Zoe Kleinman for BBC News: Many messaging services currently offer end-to-end encryption – so messages can be unscrambled by only the devices sending and receiving them. WhatsApp and Signal are among the platforms…

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge An important deadline just passed for the biggest tech platform companies in the world to notify the European Union (EU) that they are gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Seven companies have officially acknowledged they meet the criteria: Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, ByteDance (TikTok), Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp), Microsoft, and Samsung. Companies on the list have a market capitalization of over €75 billion ($82 billion) and own a social platform or app that has at least 45 million monthly users or 10,000 active business users. The statement published by EU commissioner Thierry Breton says it “will now check their submissions and designate the gatekeepers for specific platform services by 6 September,” and after…

Apple is the Online Safety Bill as it could be used to force encrypted messaging tools like iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal and other to scan messages for, ostensibly, child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Apple’s opposition comes as 80 organizations and tech experts have written to UK Technology Minister Chloe Smith urging a rethink. Chris Vallance for The Beeb: Apple told the BBC the bill should be amended to protect encryption. Police, the government and some high-profile child protection charities maintain the tech – used in apps such as WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage – prevents law enforcement and the firms themselves from identifying the sharing of child sexual abuse material. But in a statement Apple said: “End-to-end encryption is a critical capability…

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Apple has become the latest operator of an encrypted messaging service to raise concerns about the UK’s Online Safety Bill, BBC News reports. “End-to-end encryption is a critical capability that protects the privacy of journalists, human rights activists, and diplomats. It also helps everyday citizens defend themselves from surveillance, identity theft, fraud, and data breaches,” a statement reads. “The Online Safety Bill poses a serious threat to this protection, and could put UK citizens at greater risk.” With its statement, Apple joins the likes of WhatsApp and Signal in opposing a provision that would allow communications regulator Ofcom to call on tech companies to use “accredited technology” to identify child sexual abuse content…