FBI document shows what data can be obtained from encrypted messaging apps
Pavel DurovDate: December 28, 2021
Edited by fpoi.org
A recent report [1] has proven that Telegram sticks to its promise of keeping its user data private, while apps like WhatsApp give real-time user data [2] to third parties, and despite their numerous claims about "E2E encryption", can also disclose message contents.
The report has confirmed that Telegram is one of the few messaging apps that doesn't breach their users’ trust [1].
I am not surprised. Most other apps couldn't guarantee privacy to their users even if they wanted to. Because their engineers reside in the US, they have to secretly implement backdoors in their apps when the US government orders them to. If an engineer speaks publicly about it, then can go to jail for breaching a gag order [3].
In most cases the agencies don't even need a court order [4] to extract private information from messaging apps such as WhatsApp, and in other cases, court documents are shrouded in secrecy [5]. Some supposedly secure apps have been funded by government agencies from their inception (e.g Anom [6], Signal [7]).
For many years the National Security Agency (NSA) has been making sure that international encryption standards are in line with what the NSA can decipher [8], and all other approaches to encryption are labeled as "non-standard" or "home-brew". Through their proxies in the encryption industry (like this one [9]), the NSA imposed flawed standards onto the encryption used by the rest of the world, cautioning everyone else from "rolling out their own encryption".
No wonder US-based apps such as WhatsApp are plagued with backdoors [10] – intentionally planted security loopholes that governments (and anybody else) can use to hack smartphones and extract private data from people.
I hear our US-based competitors are frustrated that they can't match Telegram's growth, despite heavily investing in marketing (something Telegram has never had to invest in). But in order to match our growth, they have to first make sure their actions match their marketing claims. Until then, data breaches and security issues in their apps will, unfortunately, remain unavoidable.
Sources
[1] The Record FBI document shows what data can be obtained from encrypted messaging apps – November 30, 2021
[2] RollingStones FBI Document Says the Feds Can Get Your WhatsApp Data — in Real Time – November 29, 2021
[3] Wikipedia Gag order
[4] Wikipedia National Security Letter
[5] Knight Institute Columbia University What Is America’s Spy Court Hiding From the Public? – June 2, 2021
[6] InputMag Encrypted messaging app used by criminals was actually an FBI honeypot – June 9, 2021
[7] Yasha Levine Signal is a government op – January 16, 2021
[8] The Atlantic How the NSA Made Sure It Can Decrypt Your Online Communication – September 25, 2013
[9] Reuters Exclusive: Secret contract tied NSA and security industry pioneer – December 20, 2013
[10] Telegra.ph Why Using WhatsApp Is Dangerous – January 30, 2020