France’s Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has instructed her cabinet to stop using widely-used instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram and switch to Olvid, a lesser-known app developed by a Paris-based startup, Reuters reports.
The move is aimed at strengthening the security of exchanges that may contain confidential information. Olvid, run by two cryptography researchers and supported by French tech accelerators, claims to be a more secure alternative. Ministers have until December 8 to replace their existing messaging apps.
Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal have gained popularity in French politics, with officials using them for communication. This change comes amid growing concerns about the security flaws in widely used consumer messaging applications.
