The social media platform WhatssApp finally decided to notify its 200 million users in India that the giant messaging apps end-to-end encryption is no longer encrypted if stored as backup on google drive.
Notifying its users, the company in its update said, “Media and messages you back up aren’t protected by WhatssApp end-to-end encryption while in Google Drive,” inc42.com reported.
WhatssApp messaging app provides end-to-end encryption, that is a user’s message is encrypted and only the recipient can read it. Further more the messaging app guarantees privacy protection to its users from third parties who try to invade your data and itself from reading the messages but your chat, the app said, is no longer safe and encrypted once you backup your data on google drive.
Well Google on the other hand, encrypts files on their servers but unlike WhatssApp, google also controls the keys for encryption and that, if put into simple words, means it can also let out data to law enforcement authorities.
The Indian Government had recently asked WhatsApp chief Chris Daniel to offer traceability of messages sent through the platform to which the company responded that it can not do so since the company itself has no access to users messages due to end-to-end encryption.
Union Minister IT Ravi Shankar Prasad in a meeting with the company asked Daniel to work closely with law enforcement authorities adding that the company could face abetment charges if no action is taken regarding the Indian Government’s request.
However, the company later issued a statement saying it cannot build a software to trace the origin of a message on its platform.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said, “Building traceability would undermine end-to-end encryption and the private nature of WhatsApp, creating the potential for serious misuse. WhatsApp will not weaken the privacy protections we provide.”