Law enforcement can gain some amount of access to the content of encrypted messages such as on WhatsApp, iMessage, and Line, a newly discovered FBI documents shows.

The document, obtained after a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request, shows training advice for what kind of data agents can obtain from encrypted messaging services and what legal hoops they have to jump through to get them.

The document confirms that the FBI does not have a way of accessing private messages sent on certain platforms (Telegram, Signal, Threema, Viber, WeChat, and Wickr), but the information they can glean from the providers of messaging services can still help authorities in investigations.

See the chart below for what information the FBI and other law enforcement agencies can obtain from your personal encrypted messages.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)