WhatsApp can trace the origin of messages on its encrypted platform by embedding the first sender's information alongside content, according to a report submitted to the Madras High Court. On July 31, V Kamakoti a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, proposed two options that could be adopted by the US platform. In the first, it could embed information in an open and visible format; in the second, this would be encrypted, said the report.
“We provide two suggestions . However, WhatsApp Inc may have other methods for extracting original information,” wrote Kamakoti, who is a member of the National Security Advisory Board in the Prime Minister’s Office.
On July 24, the high court had directed Kamakoti to submit his ideas on technical possibilities of tracing origin of WhatsApp messages. ET has reviewed a copy of the submitted report.
In the first option suggested by the IITMadras professor, originator information is included along with each encrypted message. This means each recipient of a WhatsApp message or forward will get to know the identity of the person who originally sent the message.
However, in the second option while the originator information continues to travel with each message, the recipient is not able to view it, as the information remains encrypted. But, it can be revealed to law enforcement by WhatsApp, when and if demanded.
Kamakoti also clarified that if a message is modified in any way – be it through copy and paste, addition of text to media like images, audio or video by any user, then that user becomes the originator.
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