The Belgian government is introducing Beam, its own messaging app exclusively for civil servants and military personnel.
The Belgian government has started rolling out its own government app, Beam, as reported by Gazet van Antwerpen. According to the government, the app is intended to offer a more secure alternative to WhatsApp and Messenger. Beam is exclusively available to civil servants and military personnel and will be implemented starting next week. With this move, Belgium aims to provide a “sovereign communication solution” for the government, something that few European countries currently offer.
Waterproof
WhatsApp, Messenger and other messaging apps are frequently used by civil servants for both private and work-related messages. This poses certain risks. For instance, WhatsApp can still be accessed by the US government, according to a source trusted by GVA. That is, however, a remarkable claim, given that WhatsApp uses the open Signal protocol for end-to-end encryption, which effectively makes it mathematically impossible to intercept the content of messages. If the claim relates to metadata (who you message, how often and when), then it is, of course, correct.
The government firm BSC (Belgian Secure Communications) was brought in to create this new messaging app. They developed the app with a focus on security. For example, BSC opened the system to ethical hackers and security firms for weeks to patch any potential vulnerabilities. The result? Unbreakable.
Furthermore, the application is closed, meaning it is available to a limited number of participants. This also ensures that users are better protected against phishing.
“Sovereign communication solution”
Sovereignty is high on the agenda almost everywhere today. Keeping your data close is central to this. This will also be the case with the new government app. Data is stored in Belgian data centers, in contrast to WhatsApp, which runs on American servers. The location of these data centers is being kept secret.
The intelligence services and defense were given the first look last week. Starting next week, Beam will be used by approximately 750,000 civil servants and military personnel.
“It is correct that Beam has been in use by people from defense, intelligence services, and government departments since last week. It is indeed the intention that the app will be rolled out in phases starting next week, so that in time all civil servants can use the app for their professional communication,” said Brandon De Waele, director of BSC, to GVA.