NSF-DFG: SaTC: Core: Small: Interoperable Encrypted Messaging

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Paul Rösler
• Subject Area: Security and Dependability, Operating-, Communication- and Distributed Systems
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 559364772

To break the economic oligopoly of major encrypted messaging applications like Facebook's Messenger and WhatsApp that are used by billions of users, regulators such as the European Commission recently passed obligations that require secure interoperability between these apps and smaller messengers. Splitting the overall functionality into two-party chats, group chats, and live calls, we analyze how far the interoperable solutions recently proposed by these major messaging providers preserve and achieve security and privacy guarantees, and we develop new cryptographic building blocks that can strengthen these properties for interoperability in general.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: USA
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Paul Grubbs, Ph.D.