Emerging Threats to E2EE: The Telegram Saga and Digital Rights.
End to End Encryption (E2EE) has been propounded as a very popular solution that would only allow the sender and the receiver to read and/or decrypt the messages. However, the rise of E2EE has been problematic to other groups such as the law enforcement agencies because they argue that it hinders their work in investigating crimes. The situation of the last few months between the administrators of the messaging app Telegram and the French authorities is a vivid example of eternal battles of the advocates of privacy and supporters of public security.
This is because the Telegram case raised a number of questions associated with the advantages and disadvantages of implementing E2EE. Supporters of E2EE advocate that the technology is crucial for the promotion of human rights especially in the dictatorship nations. They further reason that E2EE affords the recipient the freedom to express his/her ideas without that ability being constrained by the worry of someone else listening in. On the same note critics argue that E2EE can be used by criminals and terrorists in plotting and executing their activities.
The encryption and telecommunication features in the case analyzed in relation to E2EE have been an issue in the case of Telegram. Although the platform boasts for having strong encryption, some security professionals have had certain doubts about some of the areas. Also, Telegram. Contrary to encrypted messaging platforms, has a centralized system and as such, the company can see metadata like who is messaging whom which is useful in fighting against crime.
Those who support the concept of digital rights are especially attentive to changes in the E2EE concern. This is something they are concerned about as governments might decide to circumvent E2EE using legislation or legal action. In order to keep the users’ data safe these advocates are concerned with creating awareness on End-to-End Encryption, advocating for policies that support the use of encryption and observing the actions of the governments that pose a threat to it.