Journalism and Closed Messaging Apps- Why and How It Has Become the Need of the Hour

This article highlights how modern technologies, like Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communication, could be used by journalists to transmit information securely. Journalists play a key role in keeping a check and balance in societies, but over the past 15 years, their work has become increasingly difficult.

The most obvious challenge is security and safety. Journalists in the field sometimes operate under extremely dangerous circumstances. Throughout this process, encryption has played a significant role in protecting media workers’ day-to-day communications while they report the news and investigate important stories. But with the increased buy-in of encrypted messaging apps by journalists, the press has come under increased scrutiny from national governments, who are actively seeking direct access to those apps’ messages so that they can monitor what’s being transmitted.

Governmental Pressures and Threats:

As threats of repression have risen, so too have the technological threats faced by journalists around the globe as they attempt to do their job. In 92 countries, governments take action against critics, arresting or attacking media workers who attempt to report controversial news. They have been using an array of surveillance tools — both traditional wiretapping and newer hacking techniques — to spy on reporters.

Many governments have attempted increasingly coercive demands for backdoors into these services — including outright bans in some cases. This means that if media companies continue to use popular consumer apps for their communications, it is possible that they will face more pressure from states that want unfettered access to their messages.

Dire Consequences:

In the past, journalists and reporters have been punished for covering banned content. This is because even though they know what the consequences can be, journalists usually take it upon themselves to ensure that their audience has access to the truth. We can find a lot of examples of journalists being subjected to vile accusations throughout history.

For instance, just last year, journalists in Ethiopia were arrested on charges of communicating with members of the Oromo Liberation Army, which the government has labeled a terrorist group. Following a reporting trip to the country’s capital, Amir Mohamed, a video freelance journalist accredited by the Associated Press, was arrested, and charged with illegally communicating with members of an armed group. Under the nation’s state of emergency, journalists have been punished for interviewing political figures, dissidents, and members of armed groups.

Looking at a broader picture, a report by Reporters without Borders found that between April 2014 and December 2017, at least one journalist was killed every month while reporting on the conflict. More than 3100 have been wounded since that period began.

How The Government Gets Access to Your Private Chats:

So how does the government get access to encrypted chats and safe platforms? Well, as a response to journalists turning to End-to-End Encrypted (E2EE) messaging apps for communication, many governments have begun pressuring companies like Apple and Google to provide access to encrypted data stored on their servers — via backdoors into messaging apps like Signal or Telegram. They’re able to do this because even though these apps claim to be “safe” and “encrypted,” they still store your personal information, which can be handed over to the officials if they have a warrant for it.

The Solution:

CypherChat is a secure communication platform built with privacy in mind and does not rely on users’ personal information. All communication is safeguarded with End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communication that prevents tampering or deciphering of communication by anyone other than the sender and recipient.

A Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network is a method of transmission for protecting the exchange of messages, files, and video/voice conferencing from interception and data breaches. Your data is end-to-end encrypted and can only be accessed by you and the receiver. No personal information is required to sign up.

When you use the app, no one, not even the company itself, knows who you are, whom you talk to, nor can they see your messages. The only way to access the CypherChat is through a web browser or as an app through a secure key generated at the time of sign-up acting as a login credential, which is uniquely generated for you, and only you have access to it.

How Cypherchat Can Help Journalists in Ukraine:

The war in Ukraine continues to escalate so as the reliance on digital communication by many news agencies running official channels on platforms like Telegrams, however, many of the apps do not have encryption enabled by default leaving it to the users to be aware to turn on the feature.

It is of utmost importance to be proactive in taking these measures so information can be safely relayed to the target audience rather than have it intercepted midway. One hypothetical example could be Russian troops planning to launch an attack on a particular area in Ukraine, and a source trying to tip off the Ukraine government through these channels, but their communication gets intercepted midway by Russian security agents causing them to change the plan leaving Ukraine susceptible to more surprise attacks.

Cypherchat’s “no personal data collection” policy and End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) can play a key role in protecting media workers’ day-to-day communications while they report the news and investigate important stories from inside Ukraine. Using CypherChat’s encryption technology on mobile devices will make it possible for journalists to shield their messages from governments who may be hostile toward them or their work. This means reporters can safely communicate with sources, interview subjects, and each other without worrying about someone listening in on those conversations or acting against them solely because they’re reporting the truth.

Try Now:

https://cypherchat.app

Download the App:

Apple iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cypherchat/id1615735568
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cyphertechinc.cypherchat&hl=en_US&gl=US

CypherChat is a product of Cypher Tech Inc., building an open, connected, and inclusive future for all https://cyphertech.co.