Facebook Refuses to Give Law Enforcement Access to Its Messaging App, WhatsApp
Facebook said it would proceed with “end-to-end” encryption for its WhatsApp and Messenger services, rejecting a U.S. and Attorney General William P. Barr's plea to allow government access.
According to the New York Times, Facebook executives Will Cathcart and Stan Chudnovsky Facebook, who oversee the company's WhatsApp and Messenger, wrote that creating a so-called backdoor into their services for law enforcement would make their users less safe. “The ‘backdoor’ access you are demanding for law enforcement would be a gift to criminals, hackers and repressive regimes, creating a way for them to enter our systems and leaving every person on our platforms more vulnerable to real-life harm,” the executives said. At an afternoon event, Mr. Barr said dealing with problems that strong encryption created for law enforcement was one of the Justice Department’s “highest priorities.”