The quantity of data acquired by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from instant messaging apps like Meta’s WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage is revealed in a document obtained by Rolling Stone magazine and Property of the People.
The FBI’s Science and Technology Branch and Operational Technology Division curated this confidential document named “Lawful Access” in early January 2021. It specifies the kind of information that the bureau can obtain from users of nine different apps: Apple’s iMessage, Line, Signal, Telegram, Threema, Viber, Tencent’s WeChat, Meta’s WhatsApp, and Wickr.
If a court request is made, WhatsApp, iMessage, and Line all allow ‘limited’ access to message content. The FBI does not receive any information about the substance of the messages from the rest of the companies.
The memo argues that obtaining data from WhatsApp is particularly simple after the Bureau obtains a subpoena or a warrant.