In the wake of the deadly terror attack in London last week, UK officials have renewed pressure on Facebook’s popular encrypted messaging service, WhatsApp, to create a backdoor for law enforcement.

Khalid Masood, the man identified as the Westminster Bridge attacker, reportedly logged on to the app minutes before he went on a murderous rampage that left four dead and dozens wounded. UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd believes WhatsApp and other encryption messaging services like it should give authorities access to their platforms in cases like this because “there should be no place for terrorists to hide.”

“We need to make sure that organizations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, don’t provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other,” said Rudd on BBC One’s “Andrew Marr Show” on Sunday.

“It used to be that people would steam open envelopes or just listen in on phones when they wanted to find out what people were doing, legally, through warranty,” added Rudd. “But on this situation we need to make sure that our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp.”

WhatsApp use something called end-to-end encryption, which ensures all messages are secure by generating a unique “lock and key” that allows only the designated sender and recipient(s) access to the material shared. The messages are so secure in fact, that even WhatsApp doesn’t have access to the material that is shared.

Therefore, investigators are unable to see if Masood sent a message before the attack, and if so to whom–hence the UK investigators’ request for a backdoor. Police believe that Masood acted alone in the attack and are determined to understand if he “was a lone actor inspired by terrorist propaganda or if others have encouraged, supported or directed him.”

WhatsApp isn’t the the only app that uses end-to-end encryption. Apple’s iMessage service features the same level of security. In February of last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke out against building a backdoor to the iPhone, after his company was asked to assist the FBI in unlocking an iPhone linked to the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. Cook said the backdoor would be “too dangerous to create.”

On Sunday, however, Rudd said, “I would ask Tim Cook to think again about other ways of helping us work out how we can get into the situations like WhatsApp on the Apple phone.”

Rudd said she is planning to meet with internet technology giants Google, Facebook, and Twitter later this week to discuss the issue further, but it’s unlikely that any of these companies will be willing to take a gamble with their users’ security.

According to BBC, a WhatsApp spokeswoman said that the company was “horrified at the attack” and is cooperating with the investigation.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Sessions Threatens Sanctuary Cities

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said yesterday that the White House will follow through on the executive order to withhold federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities, meaning cities where local law enforcement officials limit their cooperation with federal immigration enforcement authorities. Sessions made this announcement during the daily press briefing at the White House yesterday, which some saw as a sign that Trump wants to move on and divert attention from the failed health care bill. “They make our nation less safe by putting dangerous criminals back on our streets,” he said.

Democratic officials in states like California and New York forcefully spoke out against the AG’s comments, with California State Senator Kevin de Leon saying that he uses “unconstitutional threats and blackmail to prey on anxieties.” There are also worries that a crackdown on undocumented immigrants will make immigrants less likely to report crimes to police, for fear of retaliation. The total amount of money withheld could be more than $4.1 billion. In New York, a lot of that federal money is used to prevent terrorist attacks, so the order could make cities less secure.

#JeffSessions and @WhiteHouse continue #AlternativeFacts streak. Truth is sanctuary cities are less dangerous than nonsanctuary cities.

— Kevin de Leόn (@kdeleon) March 27, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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ISIS’s revolutionary ability to use technology for organizational, recruitment, and propaganda purposes is well known, but the terrorist group has now built its own encrypted Android app to use for covert conversations. It’s called “Alwari,” and it was recently uncovered by a counter-terrorism technology watchdog and Anonymous affiliate called Ghost Security Group.

Alwari is presumably in response to a few different recent developments. For one, Anonymous and other groups have threatened ISIS’s use of messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. Additionally, those apps have the potential to be monitored by national security officials, such as the FBI, and some applications, including Telegram and Twitter, have taken steps to remove or block ISIS-related accounts.

Alwari isn’t the first time that ISIS has made an attempt at its own app. Ghost Security Group discovered last month that ISIS members were using Telegram to download a propaganda app called Amaq Agency. While it has now been taken down, according to Fortune it “provided users with a stream of news and videos filled with ISIS propaganda messages including executions, battlefield footage, and speeches.”

Exactly how technologically advanced Alwari is is unclear. While it doesn’t have the sophistication of WhatsApp or Telegram, whoever made it had the wherewithal to make sure that messages are protected. Unlike most Android apps, Alwari can’t be downloaded by visiting Google Play. Instead, it’s accessed through a shared code.

The U.S. is currently discussing the idea of “backdoors” into some encryption software–essentially ways that would allow the U.S. or other governments to access information sent via encryption. FBI Director James Comey has pushed for, at the very least, a debate over including these features. But, that debate may become somewhat irrelevant if there’s no ability to create those backdoors in the first place because the group we are trying to monitor has its own way to securely communicate. ISIS’s ability to use technology is, at the very least, unprecedented, but it shouldn’t be surprising, and at this point certainly needs to figure into the debate about privacy and backdoors waging in the U.S.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Alwari: ISIS Creates its Own Android Messaging App appeared first on Law Street.

Tech startup Alibaba is making major headlines with its decision to file for an IPO. Alibaba is certainly different than many other tech companies. While many startups tout abilities to disrupt the market, Alibaba depends on China’s shift to a more western structure in which spending is valued over saving. Time will tell if Alibaba is right in its assumptions.

One of Alibaba’s creations is called WeChat — an app that attempts to change the way people communicate. With 12 different features, the technology shows extraordinary promise in accomplishing its goal. Among other things, users can live and group chat, make video calls, web WeChat, and Facebook connect.  Although many of these features are already popular, WeChat’s ability to combine all of our favorite tools into one app and include several lesser known features makes it unique.

Let’s take a look at the group chat QR code. In the WeChat app, QR codes are used to allow Apple, Windows, Blackberry, and Android phones to scan a code assigned to the group chat in order to temporarily connect the user’s web browser with her phone. This means that instead of being confined to just your phone, you can use the QR code to mobilize the app on various devices.

WeChat provides social features like shake and look around, which sets it apart from similar apps like the popular WhatsApp. The shake feature asks users to shake their phones and connects them with local people who shake their phones at the same time, allowing connections to people in your vicinity. I’m not sure how useful that particular feature is, but it does seem like an interesting way to meet new people. The look around feature is similar to shake in the sense that people have a chance to connect with other WeChat users in the area: once you turn on the look around feature, you’re able to see all the people nearby who have also activated it and send a greeting to people of interest.

Finally, the drift bottle feature allows you to create a voice text message and throw it into the WeChat ocean.  A person can come along and choose the option to pick up your drift bottle.  After reading the message, users have the option to either respond or throw it back into the WeChat ocean. It’s a pretty fun feature and could end up being a good time depending on the message you pick up.

The use of new social features and QR codes sets this communication app apart from the masses.  Alibaba managed to take communication technology in a different direction than most people would expect, and it seems to be paying off. Maybe the new approach to becoming a publicly traded company will have the same positive results.

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Teerah Goodrum (@AisleNotes), is a graduate student at Howard University with a concentration in Public Administration and Public Policy. Her time on Capitol Hill as a Science and Technology Legislative Assistant has given her insight into the tech community. In her spare time she enjoys visiting her favorite city, Seattle, and playing fantasy football.

Featured image courtesy of [Rico Shen via Wikipedia]

Teerah Goodrum

Teerah Goodrum is a Graduate of Howard University with a Masters degree in Public Administration and Public Policy. Her time on Capitol Hill as a Science and Technology Legislative Assistant has given her insight into the tech community. In her spare time she enjoys visiting her favorite city, Seattle, and playing fantasy football. Contact Teerah at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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