Single handed solutions can’t fix WhatsApp message traceability issue: Ex cyber security chief

Speaking exclusively to India Today TV, the former Chief Information Security Officer at the Prime Minister's Office, Dr Gulshan Rai, said that both the government and the technology platforms needed to sit together in order to come up with a balanced solution.

The former Chief Information Security Officer at the Prime Minister's Office, Dr Gulshan Rai has warned that one-sided, simplistic solutions like attaching a unique ‘hash’ proposed by third party experts may not be a permanent solution to the message traceability issue with encrypted messaging platforms like WhatsApp. Speaking exclusively to India Today TV, Dr Rai said that both the government and the technology platforms needed to sit together in order to come up with a balanced solution. “Gone are the days when any stakeholder could find a solution on its own. I think all the stakeholders need to sit together. In this case, the stakeholders are the government, the public and the technology developer (WhatsApp). The solution should be in such a manner that ultimately that should benefit the society at large”. Speaking about the debate on individual privacy v/s country’s security, Dr Rai acknowledged that India faces multiple threats, including terrorism and government sometimes needs technology to decrypt signals. He also stressed that there are clear laws and procedures laid for such purposes and they are followed in letter and spirit. “Not only there are laws to be followed but thereafter there are very elaborate procedures which are required to be followed. I must say that these procedures are followed very strictly,” the former cyber security chief clarified. Speaking on the issue of encryption of messaging platforms the former chief of India’s National Cyber Coordination Center said that encryption has become a part and parcel of the overall communication technology framework, with about 90 % of online communication covered by encryption today. “It’s not merely encryption that is used in communication, there are multiple technologies. The messenger services use both the encryption and compression technology.” While the encryption is used to ensure the privacy and security of the communication, the compression technology is used to save the communication bandwidth. “Whether you are using any messaging services or browse a website or do any kind of transaction, book a railway ticket or book a deal with the share market, it’s all encrypted”, Dr Rai said.