The Swiss Army bans WhatsApp
Members of the Swiss Armed Forces are to use the Swiss messaging app Threema for official communication with immediate effect. All other messenger services such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram have not been allowed in the Swiss army since the beginning of the year.
As of now, Swiss army personnel are no longer allowed to use the widely used WhatsApp for communication with other army personnel. The army staff instructed all commanders and chiefs of staff at the end of December to use WhatsApp only for communication with private smartphones with immediate effect, as the "Tages-Anzeiger" writes. The Threema service order came via email, in which a clear WhatsApp ban was issued.
As the army spokesman says when asked by the newspaper, the Threema app convinced the Swiss military for data protection reasons. Since the company is not based in Switzerland, it is not subject to the "Cloud Act" like American companies. Another reason, he said, is the possibility of anonymous use. The app also complies with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and is subject to Swiss jurisdiction.
All other messenger services such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram have no longer been allowed in the Swiss army since the beginning of the year. From now on, the entire militia army is to use Threema. However, radios and tap-proof data lines will continue to be operated independently.
Source: SDA/Watson
