The UK and US governments have threatened to introduce new laws that would force messaging apps such as WhatsApp to give them so-called "backdoor access" to encrypted text services.

So-called "encryption backdoors" are tools built into a system to allow law enforcement officials to “unlock” encrypted communications in apps to gain access to a suspect's messages.

The 'Five Eyes' nations, an intelligence alliance comprising the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, issued the warning in a joint statement following a meeting of immigration and security ministers last week.

They said they "encourage information and communications technology service providers to voluntarily establish lawful access solutions to their products and services that they create or operate in our countries".

However, they said that, "should governments continue to encounter impediments to lawful access to information necessary to aid the protection of the citizens of our countries, we may pursue technological, enforcement, legislative or other measures to achieve lawful access solutions".

They said there may be situations where access to encrypted information is not possible, but that those situations would be "rare".

The comments are the latest in an ongoing row between governments and tech giants, who argue that users' data would be put at risk by providing such "lawful access solutions".