“UK-developed products and services [will] become less appealing, because adopters will fear that they have been designed for Government access, and the UK will become a more appealing target for criminals and hostile nation states,” the groups warned.

Encryption backdoors

The revised law could have serious repercussions to UK tech innovation, potentially driving tech talent elsewhere, according to Nick France, CTO of Sectigo, a technology vendor that specialises in digital certificate management.

“With its push for encryption backdoors and the ability to grant — or not — permission for companies to patch vulnerabilities, [the Act] is raising alarm bells in the tech sector,” he said. “It’s a double-edged sword, hampering innovation and competitiveness while simultaneously weakening security.”

France concluded, “Ultimately, the amendment may achieve the opposite of its stated purpose, jeopardising national security and economic growth in the pursuit of increased surveillance capabilities.”