France develops WhatsApp alternative for government officials
France is in the process of developing its own communication service with end-to-end encryption that will be used by French government officials. This WhatsApp alternative is meant to remove concerns that foreign parties can spy on conversations.
A spokeswoman for the French Ministry of Economy, Industry and the Digital Sector has said that it is necessary to have an encrypted messaging service. “which cannot be encrypted by the United States or Russia”, as reports Reuters . According to her, since the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it is necessary to think about potential security breaches.
At the moment there are about twenty high French government officials testing the new app. The app, whose name has not been disclosed, was created by a developer of the national government. The aim is to make the app mandatory for the entire government somewhere during the coming summer.
According to the spokeswoman, the app has been developed on the basis of free-to-use code found on the internet. She did not want to say what kind of code it is. The spokesperson says that the program can eventually be made available to all citizens.
Amongst others, the Russian Telegram, which is now blocked in Russia was a fairly popular app among high government members of Macron. and the president himself. This changed after the French security company Thales installed tools on the work phones of various government members on the basis of privacy concerns, as a result of which WhatsApp and Telegram could no longer be used.
At the moment there are about twenty high French government officials testing the new app. The app, whose name has not been disclosed, was created by a developer of the national government. The aim is to make the app mandatory for the entire government somewhere during the coming summer.
According to the spokeswoman, the app has been developed on the basis of free-to-use code found on the internet. She did not want to say what kind of code it is. The spokesperson says that the program can eventually be made available to all citizens.
Amongst others, the Russian Telegram, which is now blocked in Russia was a fairly popular app among high government members of Macron. and the president himself. This changed after the French security company Thales installed tools on the work phones of various government members on the basis of privacy concerns, as a result of which WhatsApp and Telegram could no longer be used.