Swedish authorities seek backdoor to encrypted messaging apps

Sweden’s law enforcement and security agencies are pushing legislation to force Signal and WhatsApp to create technical backdoors allowing them to access communications sent over the encrypted messaging apps.

Signal Foundation President Meredith Whittaker said the company would leave the Swedish market before complying with such a law, Swedish news outlet SVT Nyheter reported Monday.

The bill could be taken up by the Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament, next year if law enforcement succeeds in getting it before the relevant committee, SVT Nyheter reported.

The legislation states that Signal and WhatsApp must retain messages and allow the Swedish Security Service and police to ask for and receive criminal suspects’ message histories, the outlet reported.

Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer told the Swedish press that it is vital for Swedish authorities to access the data.

Because the bill would mandate that Signal build backdoors in its software, Whittaker told the outlet, it would weaken the messaging app’s entire network.

The Swedish Armed Forces routinely use Signal and are opposing the bill, saying that a backdoor could introduce vulnerabilities that could be exploited by bad actors.

WhatsApp and Signal did not respond to a request for comment.

A bill requiring encrypted communications providers to report drug activity to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made it to the Senate floor in July 2023, sparking a backlash from privacy advocates alarmed by the prospect of turning the platforms into undercover law enforcement tools.

That bill died in the Congressional session which ended in January but had the strong support of Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin (D-IL). Known as the Cooper Davis Act, the bill had bipartisan support and was crafted with the DEA, Durbin said at the time.

Earlier this month, the British government reportedly demanded that Apple provide it with access to encrypted iCloud accounts — the company last week turned off the option for British users to protect their accounts with end-to-end encryption.