Apple, Google, Microsoft and others slam proposal to snoop on encrypted messages

Encryption technology is the backbone of modern communication and the UK intelligence agency GCHQ reportedly wants to break it on the name of surveillance.

The agency has proposed that law enforcement should be added as a 'ghost' participant in every encrypted messaging conversation. To this, tech giants including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and WhatsApp have expressed their strong opposition, The Verge reports.

In an open letter, the company argued that such a proposal would undermine security and threaten users' right to privacy and their trust in encrypted messaging service.