Google's dangerous move

A new update on Pixel lets admins manage internal messages. Photo: Google .

According to Android Authority , Google is rolling out an RCS archiving feature that will allow employers to intercept or archive conversations on company-managed devices. Simply put, your boss can now read RCS messages in Google Messages, even though they are end-to-end encrypted.

This only applies to company-managed devices, not personal phones. For some highly regulated industries, this feature simply adds to the SMS archiving mechanism already in place.

Unlike email, employees in normal companies consider texting as a form of intimate communication between colleagues, without having to be too formal to send to the boss, especially when this information is end-to-end encrypted to ensure privacy. Now that is no longer true.

According to Forbes , there is a common misconception among users about end-to-end encryption. This mechanism only protects messages during transmission, but once they are on the phone, they are decrypted and can be accessed by anyone who controls the device.

Google says it's “a reliable message archiving solution, supported by Android, and backward compatible with both SMS and MMS.” Employees will see a clear notification on their device whenever archiving is enabled.

This could make employees less interested in company-issued smartphones, as it is not only strictly regulated industries, any organization can enable this feature.

The feature is rolling out to Google Pixel and other compatible Android Enterprise devices. Employees will be able to take full advantage of RCS benefits, like typing visibility, read receipts, and end-to-end encryption between Android devices, while ensuring the organization meets compliance requirements, Google said.

However, according to Forbes, there have long been concerns that employees are turning to “shadow IT” platforms to communicate with colleagues, particularly WhatsApp and Signal. This new update certainly does not improve that situation.

Previously, Microsoft also caused a wave of controversy when it notified every time an employee was not working. Specifically, in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap update, when users connected to the business Wi-Fi, the system would display the location to indicate where they were working.

Cybersecurity News says this method bypasses recent security enhancements, creating risks of lateral movement and data leakage in corporate environments. These access tokens allow for identity fraud, such as sending Teams messages or emails on behalf of victims, phishing attacks, or maintaining access.

Source: https://znews.vn/dong-thai-nguy-hiem-cua-google-post1607368.html