WhatsApp Rolls Out Encryption for All Users

Whatsapp has implemented end-to-end encryption on its messaging service making it tougher for third party access to information. The news, which may come across as a good step to many, may not be equally appreciated by law enforcement organizations.

The Facebook-owned company revealed the execution of its encryption strengthening policy on Tuesday. The new development means that messages can now be decrypted only by authorized users, which means that law enforcement will have a harder time gaining access to communication now.  

"No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us." said Jan Koum and Brian Acton, co-founders of Whatsapp. The new move clearly means that no one other than the participants of the message will be able to read it.

There has been a heated debate over how tougher encryption policies interfere with law enforcement investigations. In February this year, a federal magistrate ordered Apple to develop a special version of its mobile operating system to enable the FBI to access a phone used by the San Bernardino shooters. The order was met with objection by Apple, leading to a widespread debate about the unavailability of necessary data due to intense encryption.

Whatsapp, one of the most popular smart phone apps in the world with around a billion downloads, uses an encryption called Signal that is based on an open source protocol created by Open Whisper Systems. Following the new development, law enforcement cannot ask Whatsapp for encryption and decryption keys to messages that were exchanged over the app.

Law enforcement agencies can, however, still track data by using the phone's passcode or by finding software vulnerability in the app. In fact, it has been speculated that this is how FBI extracted information from the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters.