Apple vs FBI: how its rivals, friends and frenemies are responding

WhatsApp

As Apple's encryption battle with the US government rages on, a number of tech firms are reportedly looking to bolster their own user-security initiatives.

WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging service, already encrypts messages between users, however it's planning on expanding encryption to voice calls "within weeks," according to The Guardian.

Meanwhile, Facebook itself is said to be considering improving security for its own Messenger app, while Google is looking at end-to-end encrypted emails and its potential uses.

Snapchat is said to be looking at making its service more secure, however the details or the extent of what this means is still unclear. The report suggests other companies are also considering their own encryption initiatives for improvements as well.

An encryption showdown

Though all this remains in the realm of rumors, the increased attention to encryption isn't surprising in the face of the Apple vs FBI case, which has spurned a national debate over what tech companies argue is the government forcing Apple to weaken its security and threaten the privacy of users.

Many major tech firms have already filed a joint legal brief in support of Apple, including Google, Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat.

Meanwhile, the government is attempting to gain closer ties with Silicon Valley with the creation of the new Defense Innovation Advisory Board, with Eric Schmidt, ex-Google CEO and current executive chairman of its parent company Alphabet, as the board's chairman.

Still, today's report comes at an interesting time for WhatsApp as it could be preparing for its own battle with the Department of Justice over encryption.

The DoJ is debating its next steps after a federal judge, as part of an investigation, approved a wiretap of WhatsApp, according to a report from The New York Times over the weekend, however investigators can't conduct one due to the app's current encryption methods.

No decision has been made, but it could lead to another very public battle over privacy and encryption between the government and Silicon Valley.

Latest in Tech
Josie and Matt laughing in front of the Google Pixel 9a
TechRadar Podcast: Is the Pixel 9a ugly? Has Apple ruined the smartwatch market? And is Samsung's One UI in trouble?
A Lego Pikachu tail next to a Pebble OS watch and a screenshot of Assassin's Creed Shadow
ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from LG's excellent new OLED TV to our Assassin's Creed Shadow review
A triptych image of the Meridian Ellipse, LG C5 and Xiaomi 15.
5 amazing tech reviews of the week: LG's latest OLED TV is the best you can buy and Xiaomi's seriously powerful new phone
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones in Black and Gold on yellow background with big savings text
The best Beats headphones you can buy drop to $169.99 at Best Buy's Tech Fest sale
Ray-Ban smart glasses with the Cpperni logo, an LED array, and a MacBook Air with M4 next to ecah other.
ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Twitter's massive outage to iRobot's impressive new Roombas
A triptych image featuring the Sennheiser HD 505, Apple iPad Air 11-inch (2025), and Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4).
5 unmissable tech reviews of the week: why the MacBook Air (M4) should be your next laptop and the best sounding OLED TV ever
Latest in News
Hisense U8 series TV on wall in living room
Hisense announces 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, with screen sizes up to 100 inches – and a surprising smart TV switch
Nintendo Music teaser art
Nintendo Music expands its library with songs from Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Tetris
An image of Pro-Ject's Flatten it closed and opened
Pro-Ject’s new vinyl flattener will fix any warped LPs you inadvertently buy on Record Store Day
The iPhone 16 Pro on a grey background
iPhone 17 Pro tipped to get 8K video recording – but I want these 3 video features instead
EA Sports F1 25 promotional image featuring drivers Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman.
F1 25 has been officially announced, with this year's entry marking a return for Braking Point and a 'significant overhaul' for My Team mode
Garmin clippd integration
Garmin's golf watches just got a big software integration upgrade to help you improve your game