WhatsApp, Skype and other online messaging services face an EU crackdown aimed at safeguarding users’ privacy, in a move that highlights the gulf between Europe and the US in regulating the internet. The latest regulatory drive has rung alarm bells in the tech industry, as the new privacy proposals come hot on the heels of a significant new data privacy law agreed in June. Of the 10 biggest messaging services by number of users, just one, Skype, was founded in Europe, but it is now owned by Microsoft. The success or failure of OTT messaging services also has a strong bearing on national security issues worldwide. SMS messaging is almost entirely unencrypted and easily readable by law enforcement, but other messaging services vary in terms of their vulnerability to government agencies.

Source: The Guardian August 15, 2016 15:33 UTC