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?

  • TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
    03·
    9 months ago

    No. One-to-one chats are E2EE. However, group chats, if forced by government, can be subpoenaed and monitored by WhatsApp admin team temporarily.

    However, the best way to break encryption is usually a $5 wrench on someone’s head, which is how governments and authorities really do it.

    • cmeerw@programming.devEnglish
      0·
      9 months ago

      Group chats are also end-to-end encrypted in WhatsApp (so any monitoring would need to be done in cooperation with one of the participants’ devices before encryption or after decryption)

      • TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
        02·
        9 months ago

        In a subpoena case in India, that turned out to be not true. WhatsApp admins hold keys to being able to do that under law pressure. They only guarantee it for 1-1 messages and statuses, and against “generic” actors for group chats…

        • cmeerw@programming.devEnglish
          0·
          9 months ago

          In a subpoena case in India, that turned out to be not true.

          Source please.

          WhatsApp admins hold keys to being able to do that under law pressure.

          How do they get the keys?

          They only guarantee it for 1-1 messages and statuses, and against “generic” actors for group chats…

          Who is “they”?