Facebook, Google, Snapchat and WhatsApp Level Up On Encryption

The ongoing war over encryption between Apple and the FBI  looks like it is spreading out and taking on more territory.

Some of the bigger names in tech — Facebook, Google, Snapchat and WhatsApp — are now working on leveling up their encrypted products according to reports in the Guardian.

We are sure the team at the DoJ is thrilled beyond words.

According to our favorite source – the anonymous ones – over the next few weeks WhatsApp is going to extend the encryption it uses for text messages to its secure voice calling feature, making all calls through the app encrypted calls. Facebook independently is also considering make its security and encryption standards stronger.

WhatsApp founder Jan Koum’s was one of the first tech heads to publicly stand with Apple in its encryption fight. “Our freedom and our liberty are at stake” he wrote on his public Facebook page. Koum grew up in Soviet era Ukraine.

Google for its part has “shown a renewed interest in the idea” in the “End to End” project. End to End was first announced in 2014 and provided for an easier way for users to send encrypted emails to each other. The progress on that has been slow since it was first announced almost two years ago, but is suddenly of accelerated interest – as is the question as to whether some of End to End’s encryption tech can be applied to other Google products.

However, Google is slower on encryption — and for good reason, says a source.

“There are lots of difficulties at Google that aren’t same at Apple,” the source said. “The business models are just different.”

Specifically, Google sells targeted ads based on what it reads in your email, and encryption would really mess that up.