Whatsapp Now Encrypts Cloud Backups - Big Impact in Criminal Investigation

The 21st Century often becomes synonymous with the Social Media sites that have connected us through. Started in 2009, WhatsApp owned by Facebook has become one of the most used social networking sites of about 200 million active users across the globe.

The prominent messaging platform now introduces another excellent feature of end-to-end encryption of the chat backups in both Google Drive and Apple’s iCloud. Simplifying it, states similar to that of the Real-Time Chat, Internet Voice Calls and and Video Calls, WhatsApp Chat backup is highly encrypted from end to end. In other words, unless access no intruder can be able to go through the chat list and conversations in any way.

The step taken is somewhat considered as the winding up of the loophole that allowed user’s chat under the apprehension of the encryption that determines that no third-party viewership on the conversations or the privacy of the user would be permitted.

What is an End-to-End Encryption and How does it Work?

Basically, an End-to-End Encryption is a communication system that only allows the communicating individuals to read the texts of the conversations. In the case of WhatsApp both sender and receiver would be able to read or listen to information sent in the form of a message. No third-party or not even the WhatsApp authority could be able to keep a track of any of the messages exchanged.

The WhatsApp Backup End-to-End Encryption is just like a deposit system like safe vault deposit provided by the banks. WhatsApp has developed a system called Hardware Security Module (HSM) based on Backup Key Vault to protect the user’s message history. The HSM is a digital vault exactly with the format of the physical vault containing the key to an encrypted backup. This phenomenon alway ensures resilience. The backup would be available only on the online cloud services.

What is the need for End-to-End encryption in chat Backups?

The content and conversation of the message chats are very much valuable to the sender and the receiver. Privacy of the information is very important. WhatsApp has previously offered their own backup system where the user can keep the chat backups that can easily be transferred in case of lost or stolen phones or installing the same WhatsApp account into a new handset. In this procedure of transferring the data can easily be compromised to the hackers and privacy is lost. Though the policy of backup encryption somewhat depends on the digital cloud devices that are Google Drive or Apple’s iCloud as they are part of data backup storage. The requirement of this policy of backup encryption is hence the utmost requirement so that the user’s information data is not compromised anyway.

What problems can be faced by the users and authorities?

On one hand End-to-End encryption is super-efficient in securing user’s privacy but on the other hand it can also be a dilemma as it could lead to various other trouble like Forgetting of the Passwords for encrypted files, Raising of Suspicion as the files could make people think about it having suspicious data, Encrypted Data files can sometimes be shared by a number of people hence this requires a long process of cooperation and consent to access and make changes to the data.

On the other hand, the authorities cannot detect questionable data and information. As a result of which the doubtful chats and conversations are on the very verge of escape.

How End-to-End encryption would impact users?

Any updating technology has to face some challenges where there would be various arguments against the refurbishing. But most importantly, privacy is the fundamental right of every Indian citizen according to the court of law. Whereas this right can sometimes lead to various activities that certainly require an interference by the government for the security of the nation and its people.

The question of WhatsApp Backup being End-to-End Encrypted is a boon or a ban still lies unsolved.