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The French government has banned all public sector employees, including ministers, from using WhatsApp and Telegram for professional communications, ordering them to switch to a state-developed secure messaging service called Tchap beginning September 1.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou issued the directive in a circular sent to ministers and prefects on July 25, citing security concerns over the popular consumer messaging platforms. The mandate affects more than 300,000 government workers who already use Tchap for professional communications.
"The main messaging applications do not provide all security guarantees in a professional environment," Bayrou stated in the circular, emphasizing the need to "strengthen security of information exchanged in ministries and administrations."
French officials said the decision to eliminate WhatsApp and Telegram was driven by their perceived ties to foreign intelligence services — WhatsApp to U.S. agencies and Telegram to Russian services.
The Prime Minister's office highlighted potential security gaps in consumer-focused applications, noting that "public agents are exposed to a growing risk of interception of their electronic communications, jeopardizing the confidentiality of their exchanges."
The directive comes amid heightened concerns over U.S. data access capabilities under the 2018 Cloud Act, which allows American judicial authorities to access data stored by U.S. companies, including information held abroad.
Tchap, created in 2018 by France's Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs (Dinum) with contributions from the National Agency for Information Systems Security (Anssi), the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry, offers end-to-end encryption with data hosted on French government servers operated by the Interior Ministry.
The application's name pays homage to the Chappe telegraph, an 18th-century French communication system. Available on mobile devices and computers, Tchap requires users to register with authorized government email domains such as gouv.fr or elysee.fr.
The platform "guarantees complete confidentiality of professional exchanges" and "offers optimal security and public control of its operation," according to the government circular.
The Tchap mandate builds on earlier cybersecurity measures. In November 2023, former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne had directed ministers and cabinet members to use Olvid, another French-developed encrypted messaging service created by cybersecurity experts.
Under the new directive, ministerial offices currently using Olvid may continue with that platform but should prioritize Tchap for communications with state administrations.
Tchap experienced security challenges during its 2019 beta launch when cybersecurity expert Baptiste Robert discovered he could register for the service without a required government email address, potentially accessing information reserved for state employees. The vulnerability was quickly patched following Robert's public disclosure.
Telegram faces additional scrutiny after its founder Pavel Durov was charged in France for allegedly refusing to provide authorities with information about users violating laws on the platform and for inadequate content moderation.
The messaging platform currently serves for hospitals and universities across France in addition to the ngovernment and its ministries, according to government data.
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