- According to Whittaker, the bill requires the encrypted messaging app Signal to install so-called backdoors in the software.
There needs to be a messaging app which provides a backdoor for every government that requests it. Every time some dumbass legislator asks for a super-giga-secure-backdoor they promise not to misuse, they should be directed to that app.
I’m not familiar with EU law, but wouldn’t this set a precidence across the whole EU?
It’s worth noting that mullvad is based in Sweden
Mullvad has proven time and time again that they don’t log anything at all. Even if they give backdoor access, there’s nothing to record.
No wonder they pussied out and removed port forwarding
I don’t get how its supposed to work…they want to require messengers to include backdoors in their software? So when a program is FOSS, then you can literally just use it knowing there is no backdoor…also, what blocks you from using a server in different country? Wtf that even means…
And now it starts. Programs specifically designed to be encrypted getting attacked.
Is this law broad enough to also catch up Proton and its services?
This attack by governments on encryption is getting more and more concerning.
Proton is swiss
And gobbles Trump’s knob publicly.
They won’t need a law to force compliance.
Sci-fi writing in here I see
Uuh… Ok? How is that relevant?
Directly.
They want less accountability for themselves so they can get away with more corruption.
I hope people take notes.
The “if” to that “then” being that if they pass a law that would make Signal illegal in Sweden, then Signal will leave Sweden.
Illegal unless they install the backdoors. They could choose to do that instead of leaving Sweden, but they are choosing to leave Sweden.
If they did that, Signal would no longer exist at all. Nobody anywhere in the world would want to continue using it.
I think you wildly misunderstand the average person’s motivations and how they weigh decisions.
We’re talking about Signal, not FB Messenger. People use Signal because of the encryption, and they would leave.
The “average person” you have in mind who obviously does not care about cryptographic security also does not use Signal.
There are a few people in my social bubble that are not technical at all, but heard a few bad things about WhatsApp and that’s why they are using Signal. Nothing more, they do not know how it works, they do not know who provides it.
And now they’ll hear something bad about Signal and move on as they did with WhatsApp, as per your example.
Seems to me one of the main things that got people to move away from Whatsapp en masse a few years ago was a rumour that they’d added a backdoor to it similar to the one Sweden is thinking of demanding. If an unfounded rumour did that much, the real thing might do substantial damage to Whatsapp as well if they were to go along with it. It probably wouldn’t completely demolish it, as it would for Signal — or at least its demise might take longer.
thats not the target audience, thankfully.
The target audience is everybody with a Smartphone.
The majority of people in my signal contacts are there because someone (sometimes me) pushed them to use it instead of WhatsApp.
While that’s generally true, one of the main reasons why people choose apps like Signal is the privacy. People that aren’t aware and don’t care generally wouldn’t have switched to Signal in the first place.
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I’m a bit surprised that the armed forces are openly opposing this, but good for them!
That is because they just decided to switch to use it for internal communications. This means that they would have to roll back that decision.
It would have been good of the article to mention that important tidbit…
It happened like 2 weeks ago so I will forgive them for missing it.
I have to ask. If Signal “leaves” Sweden because it is deemed illegal without backdoor, how would this even work regarding enforcement? Your phone gets searched and if they find Signal you get a fee? Messaging being blocked somehow by Swedish ISPs, is that even possible?
Signal will be delisted from Android/Apple store. That’ll curb the majority of Signal use in Sweden. I suspect Sweden isn’t going to after individuals. They could if they wanted to. ISP blocking, probably not, but yes ISPs can block Signal by blocking all known Signal servers. That’s why Signal supports special proxies that allow individuals to run to allow people from blocked locations to access the Signal servers.
That’ll curb the majority of Signal use in Sweden.
…unless a bunch of users plan to actually do something illegal, in which case a delisting from the app store doesn’t stop anything. Once again, it’s just to enable data collection about as many ordinary citizens as possible.
The proposed law would require messaging apps to store copies of user messages.
The law isn’t targeted at users directly. It’s targeted at the service providers. If the cops can access your phone you’re already screwed.
Blocking Signal traffic might be theoretically feasible but it would be a game of whack-a-mole. Legally, Signal might have to stop serving IPs in Sweden but that’s Sweden’s problem and VPNs exist.
They will likely IP geofence Sweden to block connections to Signal’s servers being made there.
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The question was what Signal would do though …
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i am searching their link to Sweden
no link found yet, i will search again
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https://signal.org/
© 2013–2025 Signal, a 501c3 nonprofit. “Signal”, Signal logos, and other trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Signal Technology Foundation in the United States and other countries (more info here).
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https://signal.org/donate/
Signal Technology Foundation is a nonprofit under section 501c3 of the US Internal Revenue Code..
“Leaving a country” for digital services usually means not providing services there anymore.
Thanks, this makes a lot more sense.
… i keep, time and again, searching for things, only to discover my “search goal” is not based in reality.
Nice PR move, but when do you announce leaving the US, which is the much bigger issue right now?
