With the recent attacks in Paris, it’s possible that encrypted messaging apps aren’t seen in as great a light as they were seen by Edward Snowden. Apps such as Signal and Whatsapp are now under the watchful eye of world authorities, and encryption, which was once thought of as safe messaging is now a terrorism threat.
Snowden Probably Warned Us About This Too
There is certainly no such thing as too safe. There must always be a balance, and what looked like the best way for people to message each other safety has gotten into the wrong hands – which is natural.
Encryption has often been seen in a positive light. It means security and privacy, which the Internet guarantees very little of. With apps like Signal and Whatsapp and Telegram, which has recently gone under fire for supposedly being used by ISIS to communicate prior to the Paris attacks, people felt secure about their messages. But with the recent outbreaks of terrorism, encryption is starting to look shadier, like it involves business that can’t be spoken of even in hushed environments.
Terrorism Strikes And Encryption is Under Fire
The world’s war on terror has gotten increasingly difficult, but there will definitely come a time when encryption is once again associated with safety and not with terror. Hopefully, as nations come together to fight the fight against terror (not against race, resources or religions), even apps like Signal and Whatsapp can be used to fight back. Technology is a powerful tool that can be used for good as well as for bad, and it, too, can fight back.
