Apple Inc (AAPL  ) emerged as the latest operator of an encrypted messaging service to flag concerns about the U.K.'s Online Safety Bill.

The iPhone maker hailed the end-to-end encryption as a critical capability that protects privacy and helps everyday citizens defend themselves from surveillance, identity theft, fraud, and data breaches, adding that the bill poses a serious threat to this protection, the Verge cites a company statement.

Apple joins the likes of Meta Platforms, Inc (META  ) 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 "whether communicated publicly or privately" and swiftly take it down.

In this section, Apple called for an amendment to offer explicit protections for end-to-end encryption.

End-to-end encrypted messaging prevents any outside party from reading the contents of messages. Security experts argue that forcing companies to scan messages for illegal content would undermine the encryption and privacy of users.

The government has insisted that the bill's rules are necessary for catching criminals.

Price Action: AAPL shares traded higher by 1.40% at $187.86 on the last check Tuesday.