this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2023
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For open source messengers, you can check whether they actually encrypt your messages and whether the server has access to your encryption keys but what about WhatsApp? Since it's not open source, you can't be sure that the encryption keys aren't sent to the server, right? Has there been a case where a government was able to access WhatsApp chats without reading them from the phone itself?

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[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml -3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Governments, if they want, can decrypt any chat, not just Whatscrap. But it makes a difference if a chat, especially this Zuckerbot shit, directly opens a Backdoor to governments, to give them access, or if they have to bother hacking the chats themselves, which due to its cost and time, is only done with a court order.

[–] TheCaconym@hexbear.net 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Governments, if they want, can decrypt any chat

This is not true. Encryption that is not breakable by anyone - including governments - and the tools to use it have been available to everyone for decades now.

It might be broken later (which is why the US stores encrypted messages) but not right now, and is unlikely to be in the foreseeable future.

[–] cmeerw@programming.dev 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Governments, if they want, can decrypt any chat

Any source for that claim?

[–] fl42v@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago

I mean, it's possible given their resources... It just takes long enough to be unfeasible. Also, in special circumstances they can Pegasus your phone and obtain the info without decrypting... Not like you're not screwed anyways when it comes to such drastic measures.