The Prime Minister of France Calls on Ministers to Uninstall WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram for Security

After TikTok, it's now the turn of French ministers to remove WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram from their phones, and this decision comes from the top, as reported by Le Point. Last Wednesday, on November 22, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne signed a circular that imposes a ban on the use of these apps by ministers, as well as state secretaries, directors, and cabinet members.

Starting from December 8, government members are required to use French messaging apps Tchap or Olvid. The purpose of the Prime Minister's circular is to protect government officials from potential information breaches.

'Major consumer instant messaging apps are taking up an increasingly significant role in our everyday communications,' she stated in the circular. 'However, these digital tools are not immune to security vulnerabilities, and therefore, do not ensure the security of conversations and information transmitted through them.'

Élisabeth Borne explains her choice: 'To counter the threats arising from the use of these apps, the French company Olvid has developed instant messaging that guarantees the protection of user data through a decentralized catalogue and a cross-cutting system that completes message encryption, preserving the same functions as current apps.'

In addition to Olvid, government members can also use Tchap, a messaging app developed three years ago for French government officials.

This decision by the French government rewards the initiative of Thomas Banger, who defended his dissertation on cryptography at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne. 'Peaceful self-expression is a fundamental right for me,' explains the inventor of the Olvid idea, developed in collaboration with his 'friend of twenty years,' researcher Mathieu Finias, who attended École Normale and earned his higher education degree and defended his dissertation at Inria, where he is currently the technology director.

Recall that at the end of February, the European Commission, joined later by the Parliament and the European Council, prohibited all its employees from installing the TikTok app on their phones for the safety of personal data.