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French government release a messenger app for its state agents

Security

CIO Bulletin
2019-04-20

Cybersecurity compromises are on the rise and plaguing many nations. So, the French government has gone ahead and launched its own instant messenger app for its state agents.

The app released by the French government is called Tchap. It is an end-to-end encrypted instant messenger app which aims to replace the popular consumer apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. The apps have been developed within the administration and will give state agents a safe medium to converse and chat.

All the private chats on the app are encrypted end-to-end and stored in France. Further, all the attachments that go through the app get inspected by an antivirus. Announcing the app, the French government wrote on its website: “Tchap is part of a broader strategy of modernization promoted by the government, one of whose priority is to provide state agents with powerful digital work tools, enabling them to work in a network, including with partners outside the state.”

For now, the app has been released in beta and will be improved upon. The Interministerial Directorate of State Information and Communication System (DINSIC) is overseeing the development and progress of the app.