FBI Document Shows How Popular Secure Messaging Apps Stack Up
An FBI document lays out the information various secure messaging apps can share with law enforcement.

By Nathaniel Mott

It can be hard to decide which secure messaging app to use. Luckily, a newly leaked document that was reportedly prepared by the FBI’s Science and Technology Branch and Operational Technology Division makes it easy to see what kinds of information various services can provide in response to requests for user data.

Rolling Stone reports that the leaked document was prepared on Jan. 7. It’s titled “Lawful Access,” and according to its header, it describes the “FBl’s Ability to Legally Access Secure Messaging App Content and Metadata.” The document is unclassified, but it’s alternately designated as “For Official Use Only” and “Law Enforcement Sensitive.”

“As of November 2020, the FBI’s ability to legally access secure content on leading messaging applications is depicted below, including details on accessible information based on the applicable legal process,” it says. “Return data provided by the companies listed below, with the exception of WhatsApp, are actually logs of latent data that are provided to law enforcement in a non-real-time manner and may impact investigations due to delivery delays.”
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['Technology', 'FBI', 'Apps', 'Messaging']