The US authorities want to access data from WhatsApp users. Messenger introduces voice traffic encryption

Image: Credit Andrew Sondern / The New York Times

The consideration of the case with access to the encrypted information of the users of iPhone smartphones has not been completed, as in the United States began to discuss the possibility of accessing the correspondence of WhatsApp users. US government officials are now trying to find a solution to another problem - getting access to the correspondence of a criminal (or a crime suspect) who is a WhatsApp user. Remember that now this messenger belongs to Facebook.

The US court during the consideration of the case (what exactly the case is not described in detail) allowed law enforcement officers to read the information from the phones of those suspected of committing a crime. One of the most important sources of information was the online messenger Whatsapp. But because of the function of encrypting the data of the users of the messenger, the law enforcement authorities were unable to obtain the necessary data. After that, officials raised the issue of the need to access data without encryption, which the messenger introduced in 2015 (this was partially done back in 2014).

Now there is no concrete solution yet, but the situation is rather complicated - there is already a conflict between Apple and the FBI, now it seems that a similar conflict is emerging between Facebook and the police. If the first conflict, at the suggestion of Apple, can be compared with the need to provide FBI access to their home for a search at any time of the day, then the second conflict is already compared with listening to a telephone line in this house.
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The emergence of a problem of this kind has long been predicted by both information security specialists and some officials. After all, in the same US legislation, that part of it, which concerns the obtaining of personal data of citizens, was updated a long time ago - even when people simply spoke to each other on a landline telephone.

The issue of access of state law enforcement officers to the correspondence of user data on their mobile phones is relevant not only for the United States. For example, in Brazil, because of the refusal of Facebook to provide personal data of a user suspected of drug trafficking, they even arrested the company's vice president. Then they were released, but the fact remains that the authorities want access to data from users of various services in various countries.

Whatever it was, technology companies are planning to defend their interests to the end. Facebook, Google and WhatsApp have already announced their intention to strengthen the encryption of user data. Whatsapp, for example, will now encrypt users' voice calls, this feature will be added to the main set in the next few weeks. Naturally, this will not please officials, and they can move from words to deeds - for example, to file lawsuits in the courts, which American companies will have to execute (although after repeated appeals / counterclaims).

How will this end? It's not clear yet. But this whole conflict situation is clearly far from over.