WhatsApp and Snapchat could potentially be blocked under new surveillance laws in the UK in the wake of the Paris shooting.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has today said that if he is re-elected in the UK general election he will stop the use of all methods of communication that security forces do not have the ability to access - even if they have a warrant - due to encryption.

Cameron, speaking in Paris, said today: “Should we allow safe spaces for terrorists to talk to each other?” referring to the current laws which allow apps to use encrypted technology, The Independent reports.

For apps such as WhatsApp and Snapchat, which use encryption, that could possibly signal their end.

Cameron made the pledge today, while discussing last week’s attack by Islamic extremists in France, in which 17 people died over three days.

Cameron asked: "In our country, do we want to allow a means of communication between people which even in extremis, with a signed warrant from the home secretary personally, we cannot read?" He compared instant messaging to phonecalls and letters, both of which police can listen to or read if they have a warrant.

The encryption software in apps such as WhatsApp and Snapchat is designed with encryption to prevent those companies who produce the apps from accessing the user’s data.

Other programmes which encrypt data include Apple’s iMessage and Facetime.