WhatsApp Encryption Case Signals the Future of Wiretapping: Report

US Justice Department officials are privately debating whether to pursue court action against WhatsApp to gain access to content protected by end-to-end encryption, the New York Times reports. A judge has issued a wiretap order in a sealed investigation, according to the Times’ anonymous sources, but investigators are unable to collect any useable information, setting up a possible follow-on order forcing the company to break its encryption, and setting a precedent that investigators told the Times “goes to the heart of the future of wiretapping.”