Tech giant Google last week announced the rollout of an early developer preview of the forthcoming new version of its Android mobile operating...
The Guardian has revealed in a recent report, citing unidentified sources, that several leading tech companies are apparently mulling the addition of improved security measures to their messaging apps.
The companies which are planning to expand encryption within their messaging products include Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Snapchat.
The mentioned companies have already filed ‘friend of the court’ briefs, backing Apple in its encryption battle with federal law enforcement. Apple’s scuffle with law enforcement revolves the unlocking of an iPhone used by a San Bernardino terrorist, so that law enforcement authorities can access the data stored on the handset.
With the ‘friend of the court’ briefs having already been filed by Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Snapchat to back Apple’s stance over encryption, the planned strengthening of encryption services by these companies will further reinforce their standpoint.
About the measures being planned by the four mentioned tech companies to boost security mechanisms in their messaging apps, The Guardian has said in its report that Google is exploring “extra uses” for encryption in secure email; Facebook and Snapchat are planning to boost the security for their messaging products; and WhatsApp probably wants to roll out encryption for its voice calls.
