Encryption has become a hot topic these days as the FBI and Apple duke it out in public. The bureau wants Apple to comply with a court order and unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone. Whether or not it can do that is a completely different matter, Apple doesn’t want to set a precedent where governments can make it hand over user data. There have been reports that DOJ lawyers are having trouble executing a wiretap because of encryption on WhatsApp and now there’s a new report which claims WhatsApp is looking to expand encryption across its service “within weeks.”
The Guardian reports that multiple tech companies will soon announce security improvements to assure their users that their data and privacy is safe from the government. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, is said to be among those companies.
The report claims that WhatsApp is going to expand encryption to voice calls within the next few weeks, and that Facebook is also pondering over options to improve security in its standalone Messenger service.
WhatsApp has not officially commented on this yet and Facebook hasn’t responded to the report either. Given that WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum has already his weight behind Apple in the company’s fight against FBI it wouldn’t be surprising if WhatsApp really was looking to strength encryption on its service.