If the government prevails in the Facebook Messenger case, it could make similar arguments to force companies to rewrite other popular encrypted services such as Signal and Facebook’s billion-user WhatsApp, which include both voice and text functions, some legal experts said. The US government is seeking to force Facebook to break the encryption on its Messenger app , in order for law enforcement to be permitted to monitor conversations , should a criminal probe be put against the user . The case is being held in a federal court in California , and is under investigation , so details are limited . Nonetheless , according to three people who have spoken to Reuters , the US Department of Justice is seeking to hold Facebook in contempt of court for refusing to carry out a surveillance request .
The US government is seeking to force Facebook to break the encryption on its Messenger app , in order for law enforcement to be permitted to monitor conversations , should a criminal probe be put against the user . The case is being held in a federal court in California , and is under investigation , so details are limited . Nonetheless , according to three people who have spoken to Reuters , the US Department of Justice is seeking to hold Facebook in contempt of court for refusing to carry out a surveillance request .