For security reasons, members of the Government will now have to use the Olvid application instead of popular instant messengers, such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. An example to follow ?

For security reasons, members of the Government will now have to use the Olvid application instead of popular instant messengers, such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. An example to follow ?

The omnipresence of data collection in daily life should give rise to legitimate fears. VSEvery time we use applications, we must agree to blindly trust companies so that they do not exploit the potential of these real gold mines while ensuring their security. In a context where national digital sovereignty is becoming an increasingly important issue, politicians must be careful about what they download to their smartphones. Already last March, French officials were prohibited from installing mobile games, streaming applications and social networks on their professional mobile phones (see our article).

In a circular published on November 22 and which was able to obtain Point, Élisabeth Borne asks ministers, secretaries of state, chiefs of staff and members of cabinets to abandon “the main general public instant messaging applications” such as WhatsApp, Signal or even Telegram, and to use place Olvid, a French service. Already used by Jean-Noël Barrot, the Minister Delegate in charge of the Digital Transition and Telecommunications, and his team since July 2022, the application will be extended to the entire Government and ministerial offices from December 8. Two reasons are given by Matignon: the fact that other instant messaging “are not devoid of security vulnerabilities and therefore do not ensure the security of conversations and shared information”not to mention that the adoption of Olvid represents “a step towards greater French technological sovereignty”.

Olvid: a foolproof encryption system

Available since 2018 on the Play Store, the App Store, but also Windows and macOS, Olvid presents itself as “the most secure instant messaging in the world”, with recently open source code. Like WhatsApp and Telegram it offers end-to-end message encryption – no one else, not even teams, can view the conversation. In addition, unlike other messaging services, it also encrypts metadata (identity of the sender and recipient, time a message was sent). In addition, it does not require the use of a SIM card, and therefore a telephone number: a simple Internet connection is sufficient. Finally, Olvid does not request access to the user’s address book. To connect with a correspondent, you must scan a QR code with your phone. Paid options allow you to make audio calls, use multiple devices or facilitate business use.

Jean-Noël Barrot emphasized in a tweet that Olvid “is French, certified by ANSSI, encrypted, [et] does not collect any personal data.” The National Computer Systems Security Agency (ANSSI) indeed granted Olvid in 2020 a “first level security certification” – it’s the only messaging service that has it. A great sign of confidence from the administration!

Olvid: the “safest messaging in the world”, really?

The Prime Minister also authorizes the Government and members of cabinets to use Tchad, another French secure messaging application deployed in 2019 and which also offers end-to-end encryption, in addition to data hosting in France and monitoring of attachments by an antivirus.

This announcement comes in a context where the question of national digital sovereignty is of crucial importance – a way to set an example? Remember that Telegram was developed by Russian expatriates and that its headquarters is now located in Dubai. Ditto for WhatsApp, whose parent company Meta is known to be addicted to tracking data for advertising purposes.

The announcement, however, remains somewhat ironic, given that the Government is seeking to weaken the encryption of messaging, and therefore the confidentiality of conversations. Just a month ago, Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of the Interior, wanted “negotiate a back door” with major platforms to be able to access conversations as part of terrorism investigations. But cybersecurity experts say this is too dangerous because it could be exploited by hackers, especially in the current context of cyberwar with Russia and Ukraine. In addition, they believe that the still limited use of Olvid does not make it possible to prove its reliability when scaling up to a national scale. Only time will tell !