FBI’s Urgent Warning: Encrypt Your Calls and Messages Now! 

FBI’s Urgent Warning: Encrypt Your Calls and Messages Now! Credit | Getty Images
FBI’s Urgent Warning: Encrypt Your Calls and Messages Now! Credit | Getty Images

United States: The FBI, coupled with the CISA, in a surprising turnout, has suddenly warned iPhone and Android users to start using encrypted messages and calls where possible. 

This appeared as an unexpected move for law enforcement that claimed in the past, arguing that encrypted content left agencies in the dark, even if they wanted to access it in compliance with a court ruling. 

More about the news 

Similar to other private messengers, Apple, Google, and Meta do not have access to content that is end-to-end encrypted. 

The agency advises avoiding normal text messages over the network, and if they are via RCS, then those texts are not fully encrypted. 

Although this rules out Apple’s new RCS option for messaging Androids, when messaging within iMessage (to other Apple users) or within Google Messages (to other Android users) is secure, forbes.com reported. 

FBI’s Urgent Warning: Encrypt Your Calls and Messages Now! Credit | Shutterstock
FBI’s Urgent Warning: Encrypt Your Calls and Messages Now! Credit | Shutterstock

Though again, it was messaging that was responsible for most of the attention that followed in the wake of the FBI and CISA warnings, it also encompasses calls. 

Most cellular calls are not completely encrypted, and each is vulnerable to interception, whether under the law or not. 

This is resolved by using a platform like WhatsApp, Signal, or FaceTime if using iPhones. 

Such calling, however, still exists but not as frequently, especially in the US and most European countries, as you would find many people use secure calling whenever they are traveling in Asia or Africa in particular due to distrusted networks. 

What do we do now? 

Apple is releasing iOS 18.2, which, for the first time, will allow users of iPhones – the world’s most popular smartphones – to transition from their device’s native messaging and calling apps, for example, forbes.com reported. 

https://twitter.com/_this_asshole_/status/1864695822778069455

This basically means that when you click to call or message instead of the standard Phone or iMessage apps opening up, they won’t. 

These two are calls and messages. I would suggest you switch as soon as iOS 18.2 gets released and demonstrated to be in the bottle. 

Also, it should be left to messaging and calls on WhatsApp, although Signal or any other end-to-end encrypted application will work. We have two different environments – the environment for the messages and for the calls.