Messages can only be decrypted privately on a person’s device, nowhere else. But we will forever be committed to end-to-end encryption – that will not change. Has German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer already called you to talk about the issue?Ĭathcart: No, we haven’t gotten a call. This would only work if companies like yours were to cooperate. I would like to see the government pass laws that would strengthen encryption and not weaken it.ĭER SPIEGEL: Under Germany's leadership, the European Union has drafted a plan that would enable encryption to be broken in certain individual cases. You cannot build such access for some governments without giving hackers and bad actors globally the chance to access the private messages.ĭER SPIEGEL: To some people it may come as a bit of surprise that a company that is part of Facebook is so rigorously arguing for privacy.Ĭathcart: I think it’s more surprising that laws like these are coming out of Germany, which has a good reputation and track record on data protection. We don’t have the key to decrypt them.ĭER SPIEGEL: So you don’t want to be build a back door into WhatsApp?Ĭathcart: Call it a back door, a front door or assisted hacking – all of that would endanger the privacy of billions of people globally. The way our encryption works is that even we cannot read your messages. But what the government is asking for here would weaken the security for all of our users. What’s wrong with that?Ĭathcart: We absolutely think there should be some cooperation with law enforcement. ( Ed's: Cathcart is referring to a change to the Verfassungsschutzrecht law.)ĭER SPIEGEL: The government says it needs this technology to read messages from terrorists at a point before they are encrypted on their phone. However, I am worried by another surveillance law that Germany plans to pass that could force messenger apps and email providers to actively help government agencies to smuggle malware onto the devices of their customers. Subject to the proper legal process in Germany, we can hand over, for example, the IP address, user name or profile photo of a suspect. We obviously scrutinize every request that comes in against the legal process required and human rights standards. Do you hand over data about your customers to government agencies?Ĭathcart: Yes. A new German law, if passed, would mean that WhatsApp would have to hand over account data to law enforcement. Also in the last two months.ĭER SPIEGEL: Messenger apps are less regulated than social media companies or other digital businesses. SPIEGEL Media Menü SPIEGEL Media aufklappenĭER SPIEGEL: How many people left WhatsApp after you announced the update?Ĭathcart: We don’t publish user numbers in detail, but I can tell you that WhatsApp is still growing.Alle Magazine Menü Alle Magazine aufklappen.SPIEGEL-Heft Menü SPIEGEL-Heft aufklappen.Gutscheine Anzeige Menü Gutscheine aufklappen.Marktplatz Anzeige Menü Marktplatz aufklappen.Rückblick - So war die Klimakonferenz 2022.Partner-Inhalte Anzeige Menü Partner-Inhalte aufklappen.Wissenschaft Menü Wissenschaft aufklappen.
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