Competition: Design the UK’s crypto-open-backdoor stamp of approval!

If David Cameron is re-elected as British Prime Minister in May, he plans to introduce legislation that will get rid of all that pesky security that prevents the law enforcement agencies from snooping on secure communications.

He, and his Home Secretary Theresa May, think it would be a good idea if people didn’t use secure messaging systems that use end-to-end encryption. And so they want to outlaw products and services that don’t provide a way for the UK government to sneak a peek at what you’re saying to eachother.

This – understandably – has drawn quite a lot of concern from those people of a technical bent. But that’s a debate for a whole different article…

… what I need your help with today is this.

If Cameron is re-elected, and he manages to push his plans through Parliament, it’s going to be important for people to know which products they are allowed to use and which they’re not allowed to use.

And that’s where you come in.

Can you design a logo stamp for UK government-approved (in)secure messaging apps and services? I think it would save a lot of time if we could quickly tell which ones are on the side of law and order, and which are mischievously trying to keep their users’ information private.

If you can design a logo, or an acronym, or even a jingle, send it to me at [email-obfuscate email=”[email protected]”] with the subject line of “Here’s what I picture when I think of David Cameron’s backdoor” and I will publish the best.

No prizes, other than the glory and adoration of the internet.

Thanks very much for taking part, and thanks to Quentyn Taylor who came up with the idea on Twitter.

Get creative!

Please note: The UK government may choose not to adopt your logo. No entries will be returned, unless you happen to have sent it to the correct email address in which case it may bounce back at you. All entries to be sent by unencrypted email, naturally.

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.