Encrypted messages have been a bone of contention for some time now, with Britain, Australia and other nations discussing the issues of privacy and security when it comes to encrypted messages.
The UK and France announced on June 13 that they are both pushing ahead with a joint plan to fight terrorism and online hate speech, as well as crack encrypted data.
Shortly after the Westminster terror attack in London on March 22, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd demanded tech firms construct backdoors into messaging applications, ending "completely unacceptable" end-to-end encryption, which offers terrorists a "place to hide."
Well, it appears that Germany has now decided to bypass restrictions when it comes to encrypted information. According to documents leaked from the German Interior Ministry, authorities have decided to use remote communication interception software (RCIS), also known as spyware. This will pull communication directly from targets devices and will eliminate the need to have to intercept and decrypt traffic.
German Parliament Enacts Wide-ranging Surveillance Powers Allowing End User Devices to Be Hack… https://t.co/4A3gW0pzpY via @mofosocmedia pic.twitter.com/OGcjTi6qPj
— Privacy Law Blogs (@privacyblogs) 17 July 2017
RCIS, according to sources, can be covertly installed on PCs and headsets, the technology will hijack the PC or mobile phone, monitoring the device continually. RCIS works on iOS, Android and Blackberry. It can also access chats in WhatsApp and Telegram.
A law passed in June 2017 means that German police have the right to hack and install software on headsets and desktops of people they suspect to be terrorists.
In May 2017, a cyber security expert told Sputnik, that the UK government had drawn up yet further, disturbingly dystopian draft bulk surveillance powers, which would give authorities carte blanche to monitor citizens' live communications, and effectively illegalize encryption and that it would have terrifying implications for internet privacy.
