The Swiss army is raising the tone regarding data confidentiality, in particular exchanges through instant messengers
. From now on, it is a house service, Threema
, which must necessarily be used.
And because the Swiss army is ” financially comfortable », The purchase costs of Threema are covered for all its members.
We don’t mess around with intelligence
The Swiss do have an army despite their legendary neutrality and are very keen on confidentiality. Thus, instant messengers such as WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram are not secure enough for the Swiss staff. Consequently, it was decided for this year 2022 to use a dedicated service developed in the heart of the Alps: Threema.
The application must now be used by all members of the Swiss army, from general to recruit, and this as well for confidential exchanges as for simple discussions between soldiers, or even for conversations between soldiers and their relatives. . ” All other services are no longer allowed “, Declared the spokesperson for the Swiss army, Mr. Daniel Reist.
No American interference on the menu, but Emmental for sure!
The soldiers are thus invited to ” lead by example “, According to the words of Mr. Reist to theAFP, although the potential sanctions in the event of a deviation are not known. Moreover, the latter ensures that this service is compatible with European data protection regulations and Swiss law, unlike other messaging services mentioned above.
The godsend is also, for Mr. Reist, to escape American jurisdiction: “ Since the company [Threema] is based in Switzerland, it is not subject to the Cloud Act like American companies “. WhatsApp, Signal or Messenger are concerned (we can however note the exception of Telegram, a Russian company based in Dubai).
In any case, all potential costs related to the purchase of Threema, at a cost of 4 Swiss francs per user without counting potential annual royalties, are covered by the military. An approach that is in the guideline of the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS), which also wants the design of smartphones and applications specifically dedicated to the Swiss military.
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Source: RT
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