Last Thursday, the German parliament voted into law a bill that would allow the police and other government entities to hack into encrypted messaging services like Signal and WhatsApp during certain criminal investigations. The new law gives authorities broad access to users’ private communications, prompting increased concern over privacy issues.
Under previous legislation, investigators could tap into a suspect’s SMS communications and regular phone conversations, providing that the alleged crime was severe enough. However, they were barred from surveilling communications sent through encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp, Signal, and Threema.
The new legislation allows investigators to use spyware – a “state trojan” – to monitor and intercept user communications in real-time before they are encrypted on the user’s device. Beyond real-time surveillance, however, the law also allows for remote searches of suspects’ devices in “particularly severe cases”. This includes not just messages but also images, videos, and other data.
Germany’s Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière was quoted by Rheinische Post, saying:
We often see that criminals communicate using encrypted ways […] Encryption protects the right to private communication. But it is not a carte blanche for criminals.
The government insists that the new law will make it easier to combat terrorism, however, the law goes beyond terrorism-related crimes to include tax evasion and sports betting.
CRYPVISER: SECURE COMMUNICATION IN AN INSECURE WORLD
Based in Dusseldorf, Germany, CrypViser is leveraging the transparent and decentralized nature of the blockchain to build a secure communications network that can be used by individuals and businesses alike. The network is fully encrypted, relying on an authentication model where users identify themselves and confirm each other’s identities through a series of blockchain transactions.
The network combines reliable, cutting-edge cryptographic protocols that have been approved at military levels by international and EU standards with blockchain based public-key authentication to create a communications platform designed to prevent identity theft as well as “man in the middle” (MiTM) attacks. So, any attempts of any malware software, including the “State Trojan” to intercept users data before they are encrypted on their devices, in other words attempts “MiTM” will be immediately eliminated by Crypviser by using decentralized model of encryption key distribution through Blockchain and new kind of client – server authorization powered by CrypID.
In addition, the platform employs an intelligent intrusion detection system that detects and prevents the most dangerous interception attempts.
CVCOIN AND THE CRYPVISER ICO
Since CrypViser is blockchain based, transactions are required in order to interact with the platform to authorize and identify users’ access to public encryption keys. To facilitate these transactions, CrypViser has developed its own token called CVCoin (CVC). A token crowdsale is currently underway to raise funds for the development and marketing of the CrypViser network.
The ICO (Initial Coin Offering) was launched on May 30, 2017, and will end on June 30, 2017. During this time, investors can purchase CVCoin using BTC, ETH, or USD. A total of 15 million CVCoins will be distributed, along with additional benefits such as free subscriptions, access to special features, free access to the CVPay system, and more.
For more information about CrypViser and the ICO, please visit their official website or click here to download the whitepaper.
