La France will ban WhatsApp in the halls of power for security reasons. The French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and the minister with responsibility for Digital, Jean-Noel Barrot, have the use of WhatsApp is prohibited (but also Signal and Telegram) for political communications. The circular, which prohibits the use of the messaging app of Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, is aimed at government employees. The document was signed at the end of November and the ban will take effect from December 8th.
Security risk
The Prime Minister informed politicians that the use of the messaging platform it is not considered safe. WhatsApp has been used government-wide for its speed and security compared to email. However, the end-to-end encryption of the platform only protects the contents of the messages, leaving Meta the possibility of accessing other data, such as the time and frequency of communications between users.
The circular sent by Borne reads: “Major consumer instant messaging applications are playing an increasingly important role in our daily communications. However, these digital instruments are not free from defects and therefore cannot guarantee the security of conversations and information shared.”
The recommendation (because according to the French media it is not a real stop) is therefore that of switch to another service instant messaging to strengthen the security of exchanges. Preferably locally developed software. In fact, reading the alternative to WhatsApp proposed by Paris opens up a different perspective with respect to the problem of privacy. The choice suggested by the government is that of install Olvid, a French app created by cybersecurity experts.
What is Olvid
Olvid, developed in 2019, is characterized by important innovations. Olvid's key innovation is the removal of the centralized user directory to ensure maximum security in conversations. In addition to end-to-end message encryption, standard practice in the industry, Olvid also extends this protection to metadata, including information about who is communicating with whom and when. The app does not require your phone number or SIM card for account activation.
Olvid has passed various levels of security and has also been approved by Anssi, the French agency for information security.
Olvid: “safe” or “national sovereignty” choice?
A choice therefore not only of safety but also of national technological sovereignty, as confirmed directly by Borne: “The integration of this solution constitutes not only a signal of awareness regarding cybersecurity, but also a step towards greater French technological sovereignty".
“It is French, certified by ANSSI_FR, encrypted, it does not collect any personal data. We have been using it with my team since July 2022. In December the entire Government will use Olvid, the most secure instant messaging in the world" he declared Jean-Noel Barrot adding that “this is the best way to guarantee our sovereignty, we are taking another step towards greater communications security”.
Hence the choice to abandon the most famous messaging platform in favor of another, entirely French one. A way to get away from foreign addictions.
Break away from foreign technologies
France has already tried to in the past reduce dependence on foreign applications with initiatives such as Quaero in 2005, designed to replace Google and Yahoo. While in 2013 he tried with Qwant.
Olvid itself, on its website, explains that it wants to be a solution to "free users from foreign technologies subject to extraterritorial laws".
La digital sovereignty, that is, a country's ability to control its digital environment, including data, infrastructure and technologies, has become a issue of critical importance. In a now interconnected world, where cybersecurity reigns, it is essential to protect vital infrastructure for the country and the privacy of citizens by not depending on foreign platforms.
