NOT SO SECURE

Report: Government ‘Trying to Force’ Facebook to Break Message Encryption

In an alleged investigation into the MS-13 gang.

The Justice Department is reportedly “trying to force” Facebook to break the encryption on its Messenger app so that law enforcement can “listen to a suspect’s voice conversations in a criminal probe,” Reuters reports. While there are no public filings of the case available, sources said that Facebook is contesting the government’s demand, and the case the government is chasing is related to “an investigation of the MS-13 gang.” The case could have implications on whether tech companies and other platforms, like Signal and WhatsApp, are obligated to break their encryption for criminal investigations. This comes after a similar dispute between the government and the Federal Bureau of Investigation played out over unlocking the iPhone of the shooter in the 2015 San Bernardino shooting.