New UK Rules Will Allow Government Agencies To Read Encrypted WhatsApp Messages

Facebook is hit again by new data privacy challenges, involving its popular messaging platform, WhatsApp. The latest story about data controversy will allow the U.K. government to read the encrypted WhatsApp messages.

According to reports, the social messaging platform could be forced to hand over permission to the U.K. Government to view its users' data. The new rules will force social media platforms, like Facebook and WhatsApp, to share users’ encrypted messages with British police authorities.

The new treaty is expected to back the British police in their never-ending struggle to control crimes. The accord, which is scheduled to be signed in November, will initially be used as part of investigations into serious criminal offenses. The goal is to force social media platforms to share user’s information that is pertinent to ongoing investigations.

The U.K. home secretary, Priti Patel, recently hit the social media giant’s plan to allow users to send end-to-end encrypted messages, claiming this will only benefit criminals. Instead, Patel called upon the tech companies, which include Facebook, to build in a so-called “back door” into secure messaging apps to give government agencies access to their social messaging platforms.

Facebook, the current owner of the WhatsApp platform, has rejected the plea from the U.K. home secretary, affirming that any backdoor into its secure messaging services will undermine the security and privacy of many users. By default, WhatsApp messages are encrypted before they’re sent to its recipient and only unencrypted when they land on the recipient’s device, according to the UK-based publication Daily Express.

First introduced in 2009, WhatsApp is a widely popular messaging service that allows users to send text messages and voice messages. The app also allows users to make voice and video calls, share documents, user locations and images. The social media app was developed by WhatsApp and later was acquired by Facebook for approximately $19.3 billion.

WhatsApp, currently, has over an estimated one and a half billion users, making it one of the most widely-used social media platforms and messaging applications in the world. WhatsApp became the primary form of communication in some countries, including Brazil, Pakistan, India, France, the United States and large parts of Europe.

The app is currently available on iOS and Android-powered devices.