Federal Council does not want to oblige Whatsapp to decrypt
Services such as WhatsApp will not be required in Switzerland to provide law enforcement authorities with data in a readable format. Unlike in Germany, there are currently no such efforts underway, the Federal Council writes in its response to a parliamentary motion.
Council of States member Josef Dittli (FDP/UR) inquired. In Germany, Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer wants to give security authorities access to standard end-to-end encrypted chats and phone calls, he said. He wanted to know from the Federal Council whether this was also an issue in Switzerland.
In its response published on Thursday, the Federal Council writes that it is aware of the risks of encryption technologies for internal security and law enforcement. These severely limit the possibilities for surveillance.
However, this does not make it impossible. With the use of special IT programs - also known as state Trojans - programs could be smuggled onto the device to be monitored and data from encrypted messenger services could be made accessible in readable form. IT forensics could also be used to collect data directly from seized devices.
Thanks to these possibilities, it is ensured that the security authorities have access to encrypted communications in the cases provided for by law, writes the Federal Council. The use of special IT programs must be approved by a court.
At the same time, the Federal Council states that citizens and the economy are dependent on efficient protection technologies to protect their data in digital communication. Encryption technologies are also important for law enforcement and intelligence services. (SDA)
