Apr 04, 2022 13:00:00

A messaging app with 'automatic message deletion' acquired by Amazon is being used by government agencies

U.S.

Customs and Border Security (CBP) , a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and responsible for U.S. Customs and Border Security, has launched Wickr , an encrypted messaging app under Amazon that has the ability to automatically delete messages. It turns out that the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) , which is in charge of keeping government records, has expressed concern.

Border Patrol's use of Amazon's Wickr messaging app draws scrutiny
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/border-patrols-use-amazons-wickr-messaging-app-draws-scrutiny-rcna21448

CBP is an agency that specializes in border security such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, and illegal immigration. In the past, inspecting and confiscating travelers' mobile phones and laptops without a warrant was aproblem, and ' chasing immigrants on horseback ' ' about 15,000 children of immigrants without parents or guardians ' People are being held in poor detention facilities . '

Such CBP is using the encrypted messaging application 'Wickr' acquired by Amazon in June 2021 . Wickr is said to be popular with journalists, security-conscious people, criminals, etc. because it not only can encrypt messages and attachments and send and receive them, but also has a function to automatically delete messages after a certain period of time. Wickr's customers include the public sector and government agencies, and they also offer a military version of ' Wickr RAM ' for the US Department of Defense.

Laurence Brewer, NARA's Chief Record Officer, responsible for ensuring that records are processed correctly by government officials regarding CBP's use of Wickr, was the Department of Homeland Security's Chief Information Officer in October 2021. In a (PDF file) letter sent to the author, Eric Hysen, 'A message application with this feature (automatic deletion of messages) will be deployed throughout the institution without proper policy and usage control procedures. I am concerned about it. '

'This document provides unusual insights into CBP's use of Wickr, and some officials say that the use of messaging apps is expanding at all levels of the U.S. government,' the U.S. NBC News reported on the letter. And emphasizes the widespread concerns of surveillance groups. '

CBP, which has been

criticized for secretive practices by human rights activists and immigration lawyers, has spent more than $ 1.6 million on Wickr since 2020, but in fact Little is known about how Wickr is deployed inside CBP.

'CBP is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Authority (ICE) and other agencies overseen by the Department of Homeland Security,' said Nikhel Sus, senior adviser to the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW) , a non-profit oversight body. As with, we have a terrible track record of compliance with record keeping laws. '' This interferes with the investigation and monitoring of institutional activities and has a substantial impact on accountability. The 'automatic deletion' feature The use of Wickr, our messaging app, is definitely a 'wait'. ' In March 2022, CREW requested CBP to disclose records regarding the use of Wickr under the Information Disclosure Law, but the proceedings were filed because CBP did not respond to this request.

In response to an NBC News inquiry, CBP spokeswoman Tammy T. Melvin replied that CBP could not comment on the inquiry during the dispute. In an email, Melvin said, 'We are currently considering using and distributing Wickr,' claiming that CBP has been using Wickr 'only in some small pilot programs' since 2019. He said he did. In addition, in the enterprise version of Wickr used by CBP, it is said that the administrator appointed by the organization can manage settings such as automatic deletion of messages in individual employees, but Melvin actually says how CBP is. I didn't answer if I was running Wickr.

According to Wickr's promotional material , the enterprise version and Wickr RAM can be used in a way that adheres to record-keeping compliance, but both have automatic message deletion by the user enabled. Amazon, which owns Wickr, has not responded to NBC News inquiries regarding Wickr's products or contracts with government agencies.

In his letter, Brewer gave CBP 30 days to submit documents on Wickr usage policies, staff training guidelines, and resources to mitigate records management risks associated with improper use. I am. Melvin said the CBP made the first reply to the letter in December 2022, but did not provide all the information to NARA and the letter is still unresolved.

The use of messaging apps by U.S. government agencies and politicians has been a problem in the past, with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's use of Wickr being questioned in the past, and CREW in 2017. Whitehouse officials have filed a lawsuit over using a messaging app called 'Confide,' which is highly encrypted and automatically deletes messages in 24 hours.

Also, in a (PDF file) report released by the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General's Office (OIG) in September 2021, CBP consistently preserved WhatsApp messages exchanged between US and Mexican officials. It has been pointed out that it did not. OIG advised CBP to stop using WhatsApp or make sure it complies with record keeping laws, but CBP still does not support this.