In the wake of increasing use of encryption techniques by terrorists, the UK Government has been urged to outlaw message-encrypting techniques to prevent extremist groups like Islamic State (IS) from contacting potential recruits.
Cyber security experts have suggested that government need to make all but the simplest encryption techniques illegal.
The appeal has come from Birmingham City University cyber security expert Professor Mike Jackson, who wants the government to ban encryption techniques that could be used to spread terrorism in the country.
Recently a British schoolgirl attempted to travel to Syria to join the extremist group after she was contacted through encrypted apps that were used to send instructions for crossing the borders.
The girl was lured by her older sister who was already in Syria and has become an IS recruiter.
According to Jackson, Government bodies have access to technologies that can intercept huge amounts of message traffic, but there is always a possibility that the technology can be beefed up to a level where it cannot be deciphered within a reasonable timeframe.
The only way out to prevent such happenings is by banning all but the simplest encryption techniques.
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Jackson added: "The investigation into the incident has revealed that instructions on how the girl should travel were sent via social media apps that encrypt messages.
"Use of these apps effectively means that it is impossible to read messages that have been sent without access to either the transmitting or receiving device."
The British girl has been stopped from travelling to Syria after an undercover Daily Mail reporter posing as a 16-year-old-British Muslim girl exposed the whole plan.
