The EU Commission has doubts and concerns about the security of WhatsApp. She recommends diplomats to switch to another messenger service.
- The E U Commission doubts the security of WhatsApp *.
- The EU Commission recommends that its employees switch to the Signal * news app.
- WhatsApp end-to-end encryption less secure than many think.
More than two billion people worldwide use the WhatsApp messenger service. For some of them, the app has been an insecure instant messaging service, at least since the takeover of Facebook . Now the EU Commission has expressed concerns and doubts about the security of WhatsApp.
One is not sure whether WhatsApp meets the security requirements for the exchange of sensitive information among diplomats.
In order to better protect these messages from espionage in the future, the EU Commission is now recommending another messenger service to its employees. Essentially for communication with people outside the authority.
WhatsApp: EU Commission recommends switching to Messenger service signal
In an internal note, the EU recommends that its employees switch to the messenger service and WhatsApp competitors Signal . This app is intended to make communication between diplomats more secure in the future. The in-house expert group "Information Technology and Cybersecurity Board" (ITCB) takes care of the IT questions of the EU Commission.
"ITCB recommends the use of this app (signal, editor's note) for the exchange of public information and the daily instant communication among colleagues as a transition until Skype for companies on mobile phones (S4BM) comes out," says the Expert group of the EU Commission. "The sooner the better" is the switch to the Messenger service Signal, which according to the team of experts is a safe WhatsApp alternative. However, the introduction of the new app is not a requirement .
Less noise, more signal!
https://t.co/DexDtstpNr#respect #privacy #openSource #freeSoftware #FreeSpeech #OSS #whatsapptips #Telegram #signal #noise #switchToSignal pic.twitter.com/gVyHsxo229
WhatsApp: EU Commission does not provide end-to-end encryption - signal is recommended
By default, private WhatsApp messages are secured by end-to-end encryption. However, metadata such as message size, name of contacts , time and date are shared by the messenger service with the parent company Facebook . This makes it possible to draw conclusions about the type and frequency of communication. This is not the case with the Messenger service Signal.
"For civil servants from foreign and defense ministries, for example, but also for journalists and human rights activists, this is a considerable risk," said Jan Penfrant of the Brussels-based digital NGO EDRI. The EU Commission also shares this view.
WhatsApp: EU Commission calls for a signal
Vulnerabilities in WhatsApp occur more often - signal is considered particularly safe. The EU Commission is convinced of this: "It is in the nature of this app to support secure and private communication without monetizing the data and / or private information of the users", the internal note continues.
The Messenger service Signal is operated by data protection and cyber security experts who want to protect user data as securely as possible from private companies and large corporations , according to the EU Commission.
WhatsApp: Not only the EU Commission recommends Signal
Whistleblower Edward Snowden also recommends Signal as a WhatsApp alternative. He became known for co-founding the WikiLeaks disclosure website. Since the publication of explosive government documents, it has been persecuted by the American security authorities. He also asked for asylum in Germany.
The IT department of the EU Parliament , however, continues to rely on the messenger service WhatsApp.
WhatsApp has other security holes than those warned by the EU Commission *. For example, your data is not secure even after the app is deleted.
Another security debacle at WhatsApp is reading messages. The EU Commission had not warned your employees about this either. A GIF makes this possible.
Video: Edward Snowden recommends this WhatsApp alternative
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Now the corona virus also reaches WhatsApp. Several fake news are currently being distributed via Messenger.
* hna.de is part of the Ippen-Digital editors network.
