encryption - updates

Rappler's latest stories on encryption

ARTICLE FINDER

End-to-end encryption not in the cards for Zoom's free users

Jun 04, 2020 - 6:37 PM

'Free users, for sure we don’t want to give that because we also want to work together with FBI, with local law enforcement in case some people use Zoom for a bad purpose,' says Zoom CEO Eric Yuan

WhatsApp defends encryption as it tops 2 billion users

Feb 13, 2020 - 12:44 PM

'Strong encryption is a necessity in modern life. We will not compromise on security because that would make people less safe,' WhatsApp says

WHATSAPP. The WhatsApp messaging app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on May 14, 2019 in San Anselmo, California. File photo illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong says phone hacked by police

Dec 19, 2019 - 9:45 PM

'It's utterly alarming,' says Joshua Wong, who claims police even presented text messages from his seized iPhone as evidence

JOSHUA WONG. Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong looks on during a hearing before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 17, 2019. File photo by Alastair Pike/AFP)


Facebook firm on message encryption despite pressure

Dec 11, 2019 - 3:15 PM

The comments from Facebook come weeks after officials from the US, Britain and Australia called on Facebook to allow authorities to circumvent encryption to better fight extremism, child pornography and other crimes

FACEBOOK. This illustration picture shows the US social media Facebook logo displayed on a tablet in Paris on February 18, 2019. Photo by Lionel Bonaventure/AFP

U.S., allies push Facebook for access to encrypted messages

Oct 04, 2019 - 5:35 PM

Facebook's plan to roll out encryption on its platforms may risk weakening law enforcement's ability to detect criminal acts, including child pornography and terrorism

Facebook says it stored 'millions' of unencrypted Instagram passwords

Apr 19, 2019 - 10:18 AM

'We discovered additional logs of Instagram passwords being stored in a readable format. We now estimate that this issue impacted millions of Instagram users,' Facebook says in a blog post.

FACEBOOK. This illustration picture shows the US social media Facebook logo displayed on a tablet in Paris on February 18, 2019. Photo by Lionel Bonaventure / AFP

Australia using new decryption powers even before planned review

Feb 08, 2019 - 2:07 PM

(UPDATED) The Australian Federal Police reveals agents have already used the new decryption law while investigating drug trafficking and child exploitation cases

International alliace asks backdoor access to encrypted communications – report

Sep 07, 2018 - 2:08 PM

The Five Eyes group of nations collects and shares intelligence among the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, using each one’s strategic locations to monitor the rest of the world’s communication

ENCRYPTED MESSAGING. WhatsApp now features end-to-end encryption for your needs. Image from Open Whisper Systems.


How governments are cracking down on encryption and anonymity

Jul 10, 2018 - 6:06 PM

The UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression reports on how governments have cracked down on two key elements to expression in the digital age from 2015 to 2018

ENCRYPTED MESSAGING. The report praises the end-to-end encryption of some messaging apps, encouraging all messaging app makers to implement the technology as a default and to keep improving them. Image from Open Whisper Systems.


Duterte impeachment case, Leila de Lima, Whatsapp & Telegram | Midday wRap

Mar 16, 2017 - 2:21 PM

Watch Rappler s midday newscast with Margie de Leon

Researchers find security flaw in WhatsApp, Telegram

Mar 15, 2017 - 9:37 PM

Check Point Software Technologies says it alerted Telegram and Facebook owned WhatsApp last week waiting until the vulnerability was patched before making it public

Voter turnout, AMLC vs Philrem, Panama Papers | 6PM wRap

Apr 28, 2016 - 7:17 PM

Watch Rappler’s 6PM newscast with Zak Yuson

FBI won't disclose iPhone hack details to Apple

Apr 28, 2016 - 3:15 PM

The federal law enforcement agency explains it does not have the technical details from the unidentified third party

epa05171660 (FILE) The logo of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington DC, USA, 22 December 2014. Apple chief executive Tim Cook refused the judge's order in an open letter posted on the company's website 16 February 2016 shortly after Judge Sheri Pym ordered the company to help the FBI access data they believe is stored on the phone. The December 2 attack in San Bernardino was carried out by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, at a holiday party at the county office where Farook worked. Fourteen people were killed. Police killed Farook and Malik later that same day in a shoot-out. The FBI wants Apple to help it hack into Farook's iPhone by building a new version of the iOS software that would circumvent security features and install the software on the iPhone, which was recovered during the investigation. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

Apple denies handing source code over to China

Apr 20, 2016 - 3:40 PM

The tech giant s general counsel Bruce Sewell tells lawmakers that Apple refused to turn over software instructions to the Chinese government

Bruce Sewell, General Counsel of Apple, is sworn-in prior to testifying on data encryption policies between the tech industry and law enforcement during a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 19, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB

Viber 6.0 adds end-to-end encryption, hidden chats

Apr 19, 2016 - 7:58 PM

Users of Viber 6 0 and higher will automatically be protected by end to end encryption

ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATIONS. Viber gets end-to-end encryption in Viber 6.0. Image from Viber

BlackBerry responds to police eavesdropping report

Apr 19, 2016 - 2:30 PM

The tech company says it recognizes the balance between doing what s right and preventing government from invading citizens privacy

epa03882343 A sign outside the Blackberry campus in Kanata, Ottawa, Canada, 24 September 2013. BlackBerry has signed a provisional agreement to be bought by a consortium led by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, which already owns approximately 10 per cent of the publicly traded shares in the troubled Canadian company. EPA/STEPHEN MORRISON

Canada police eavesdropped on BlackBerry messages – media

Apr 15, 2016 - 10:58 PM

Law enforcement intercept and decrypt about one million BlackBerry messages in connection with its investigation into Montreal crime syndicates Vice says in its report

BLACKBERRY ACCESS. A man uses his Blackberry mobile device to write a text message in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, January 17, 2014. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA

Hackers helped FBI crack San Bernardino iPhone – report

Apr 13, 2016 - 3:19 PM

Professional hackers discovered at least one software flaw that helped the FBI break into an iPhone used by a San Bernardino attacker a Washington Post report says

An anti-government protester holds up his iPhone with a sign 'No Entry' during a demonstration near the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York on February 23, 2016. Jewel Samad/AFP

WhatsApp now has end-to-end encryption

Apr 06, 2016 - 1:17 AM

Whatsapp: The idea is simple: when you send a message the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to No one can see inside that message Not cybercriminals Not hackers Not oppressive regimes Not even us

ENCRYPTED MESSAGING. WhatsApp now features end-to-end encryption for your needs. Image from Open Whisper Systems.

FBI to help unlock devices for law enforcers?

Apr 04, 2016 - 2:53 PM

Officials say the FBI will of course consider any tool that might be helpful to our partners without explicitly saying they would unlock phones outright

THE ENCRYPTION SAGA. In this file photo, a security guard stands front of an Apple Store before a small rally in support of the company's privacy policy in New York, New York, USA, February 23, 2016. Justin Lane/EPA

Apple-FBI clash ends in stalemate

Mar 30, 2016 - 9:58 AM

The case is over but not the debate on encryption

An anti-government protester holds up his iPhone with a sign 'No Entry' during a demonstration near the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York on February 23, 2016. Jewel Samad/AFP

Erap endorses Poe, Comelec, FBI unlocks iPhone | 12PM wRap

Mar 29, 2016 - 12:15 PM

Watch Rappler’s 12PM newscast with Maria Ressa

FBI hacks San Bernardino attacker's iPhone, drops Apple suit

Mar 29, 2016 - 7:34 AM

3rd UPDATE The FBI declines to reveal what technical steps were taken to unlock the iPhone

In this file photo, a security guard stands front of an Apple Store before a small rally in support of the company's privacy policy in New York, New York, USA, February 23, 2016. Justin Lane/EPA

Encrypted email provider Protonmail launches publicly, brings apps

Mar 18, 2016 - 1:45 PM

The company is launching its end to end encrypted email service in light of what it calls an increasing trend towards more and more surveillance around the world

PROTONMAIL. Privacy-minded email users have a new option when it comes to encrypted emails. Image from ProtonMail.

Google spotlights rise in web traffic encryption

Mar 17, 2016 - 1:50 PM

Implementing encryption is not easy work [but] it s an increasingly essential element of online security

The logo for US technology company and search engine Google is displayed on screens in London on February 11, 2016. Britain's tax agency announced last month that Google would pay a £130 million (166 million euro, $187 million) tax settlement for 10 years' operations in Britain where it makes 11 percent of its global sales. Finance minister George Osborne hailed the agreement as a victory. But there was a barrage of criticism, including from within Prime Minister David Cameron's own Conservative Party as the announcement coincided with a key tax filing deadline for many Britons. / AFP / LEON NEAL

Apple says FBI out to 'rewrite history' in iPhone case

Mar 16, 2016 - 12:00 PM

The tech giant says the founders of the United States would be appalled by the actions of the Justice Department and FBI

epa05177560 A man holds a sign outside the FBI headquarters as people expressed support for Apple's decision to fight an effort by the FBI to compel the company to create a so-called 'backdoor' into Apple devices, outside the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC, USA, 23 February 2016. Gatherings to show support for Apple were planned for 23 February across more than 20 US states and several countries. Apple is fighting a court order that the FBI claims would help a terrorism investigation in San Bernardino, California. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

Obama offers tech leaders warning on encryption

Mar 12, 2016 - 4:08 PM

There has to be some concession to the need to be able to get into that information somehow Obama tells the audience at SXSW

Pacquiao drops in poll, Comelec, Google vs Zika | 6PM wRap

Mar 04, 2016 - 6:40 PM

Watch Rappler’s 6PM newscast with Maria Ressa

FBI, Apple clash in Congress on encryption

Mar 02, 2016 - 5:27 PM

The FBI insists it is only doing its job while Apple maintains it is after the safety of iPhone users

epa05189614 Senior vice president and general counsel for Apple Inc Bruce Sewell testifies before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on 'The Encryption Tightrope: Balancing Americans' Security and Privacy', on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, USA, 01 March 2016. A US federal judge last week ordered Apple to help the FBI crack the encryption on the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife killed 14 people in the 02 December shooting spree, an order which Apple chief executive Tim Cook has refused in an open letter published on Apple's website. EPA/SHAWN THEW

Apple ready for encryption 'conversation' – lawyer

Mar 01, 2016 - 4:00 PM

The American people deserve an honest conversation about the FBI s iPhone request says Apple s lawyer

epa05177774 People rally in front of an Apple Store in San Francisco, California, USA, 23 February 2016. The protest is to show support for Apple Inc., on its refusal to to help the FBI to gain encryption 'backdoor' access to information on the iPhone that belong to one of the two people who killed 14 people in the San Bernadino terror atack. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO

Apple-FBI case has wide implications

Feb 28, 2016 - 11:00 AM

Lack of privacy can be a matter of life and death or imprisonment says USMobile s Jon Hanour

epa05177563 A man holds up an iPhone with a 'No Entry' graphic as part of a rally in front of an Apple Store in support of the company's privacy policy, in New York, New York, USA, 23 February 2016. Apple is currently in a legal dispute with the FBI, which has requested that Apple unlock the iPhone of one of the people involved in the San Bernardino terrorist attacks. EPA/JUSTIN LANE

Apple chief calls FBI iPhone case 'bad for America'

Feb 25, 2016 - 5:10 PM

Cook maintains the definite dangers of creating a way to crack into iPhone encryption trumps concerns about something that might be there

BREAKING ENCRYPTION? The lock screen of an Apple iPhone 6 is seen in Columbia, South Carolina, USA, 20 February 2016. Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA

Marcos on EDSA, China’s fighter jets, Bill Gates on encryption | 12PM wRap

Feb 24, 2016 - 11:55 AM

Watch Rappler’s 12PM newscast with Maria Ressa

Apple says expert panel should take up encryption issue

Feb 23, 2016 - 5:37 PM

Battle lines are drawn in the case with many tech firms and encryption experts backing Apple and law enforcement supporters siding with the government

TIM COOK. A file picture dated May 21, 2013 shows Apple Inc. Chief Executive Tim Cook preparing to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's Investigations Subcommittee in Washington, DC, USA. File Photo by Shawn Thew/EPA

Political dynasties, Pacquiao fight, Zuckerberg on encryption | 12PM wRap

Feb 23, 2016 - 12:13 PM

Watch Rappler’s 12PM newscast with Chay Hofileña

FBI-Apple standoff puts encryption on front burner

Feb 18, 2016 - 9:23 AM

The standoff brings the sensitive issue which has been at a stalemate in Congress into the courts and has abruptly shifted the policy debate on encryption

A Chinese man uses the finger print scanner while setting up his new iPhone 6 inside an Apple store in Beijing, China, 17 October 2014. File Photo by Diego Azubel/EPA

Dutch police hack into 'uncrackable' Blackberry

Jan 13, 2016 - 11:56 PM

The Netherlands Forensic Institute NFI breaks into Blackberries equipped with the Pretty Good Privacy PGP encryption program

BLACKBERRY ACCESS. A man uses his Blackberry mobile device to write a text message in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, January 17, 2014. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA

CIA worked to break Apple encryption – report

Mar 10, 2015 - 11:48 PM

Documents the report was based on did not reveal how successful the spy efforts were but at least suggest a long effort to thwart encryption

MACBOOK. Journalists test the new Apple MacBook after the presentation of the new Apple Watch in San Francisco was broadcast on a screen in the Apple Store in Berlin, Germany, 09 March 2015. Photo by Kay Nietfeld/EPA

Newly found online security flaw stems from 1990s

Mar 05, 2015 - 9:22 AM

The FREAK flaw could leave websites open to attacks if the problem is not patched according to papers released by French and US researchers

Spook the spies: Encrypted email service open for signups

Apr 18, 2014 - 7:30 PM

Lavaboom an in testing encrypted email service is open for sign ups from the security and privacy conscious

ENCRYPTED EMAILS. New email service Lavaboom wants to help you keep your emails private.

Canadians' tax data stolen in Heartbleed breach

Apr 14, 2014 - 11:52 PM

Approximately 900 social insurance numbers were removed from CRA systems by someone exploiting the Heartbleed vulnerability

HEARTBLEED. The Heartbleed OpenSSL flaw can expose people's information without any trace of a security breach. Heartbleed graphic from Heartbleed.com

'Heartbleed' OpenSSL flaw puts encrypted data in danger

Apr 09, 2014 - 8:58 AM

A flaw in OpenSSL a cryptographic software library that provides encryption for many sites and services lets attackers steal data from working memory on computer servers

HEARTBLEED. The Heartbleed OpenSSL flaw can expose people's information without any trace of a security breach. Heartbleed graphic from Heartbleed.com

NSA eyes encryption-breaking 'quantum' machine –report

Jan 03, 2014 - 7:54 AM

With its vast computing power a quantum computer can break the strongest encryption tools for online activities like banking and emails

INTEL HQ. The National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland, as seen from the air, January 29, 2010. Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP