Switzerland's Army bans Whatsapp & Telegram for troops at work; calls for use of Threema

Switzerland's Army has reportedly barred its security personnel from using Whatsapp, Signal, Telegram and similar messaging applications while they are on duty. The Swiss Armed Forces have now advised their security personnel to use the Swiss-made app Threema instead of the other messaging apps, reported Sky News. The new rules will result in the security information not getting exposed to foreign parties. 

The people serving in the Swiss Army have already been using Threema Work, the enterprise edition of the app, Sky News cited spokesman Daniel Reist. Reist further added that the new rule is applicable for the use of applications on private devices of soldiers when they are on service operations. However, there is no punishment available for those who continue to use other messaging services. 

Swiss Army to pay the cost for downloading Threema application

Daniel Reist told Sky News that Switzerland's military is advising the use of Threema which is a paid Swiss messaging app and is end-to-end encrypted based on servers in the country. Furthermore, the Swiss Army will pay for the cost of downloading Threema for its professionals. As per the news report, the Threema app does not come under the US Cloud Act that allows US authorities to ask the companies to hand over the user information in response to a court request. 

The new development comes after the Army leaders in a letter to top commanders in December 2021 called for the use of messaging app Threema. For the new rule, the Swiss officials have cited the need for secure communication as the Swiss Army carries out operations during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In the letter sent to Army Chiefs in December, it has been mentioned that Threema “must be used for all service communications,” as per the AP report. The letter sent to Army Chiefs further insisted that “no other messaging service will be authorized.” As per the AP report, for using the Threema app, the user is not required to give a phone number or email id. Reportedly, the Swiss army will also reimburse its soldiers the annual cost for the use of the Swiss app, which is around 4 Swiss Franc.

(Inputs from AP)

Image: AP, Pixabay