Border Patrol's Use of Encrypted Messaging App Wickr Draws Concern From the National Archives

By Mary Webber Apr 04 2022, 01:48 AM EDT

U.S. Border Patrol has been using the encrypted messaging app Wickr to communicate, which has raised alarm to the National Archives.

The National Archives sent a letter to U.S. Homeland Security officials expressing concern about the use of the encrypted messaging app by Customs and Border Protection, according to an Insider report.

Laurence Brewer, the chief records officer of the National Archives and Records Administration, was sent to Eric Hysen, the chief information officer of the Department of Homeland Security, in October 2021.

Brewer has expressed his concern about how the agency was using the Amazon-owned Wickr app, which can automatically delete messages.

The U.S. Border Patrol has also been reported to be using another encrypted messaging service WhatsApp.

Brewer wrote in the letter that he wanted to ensure that records management regulations are being adhered to, as well as ensure that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol is regulating the use of the said messaging apps.

The chief records officer also said that he wanted to make sure all employees were aware that they must keep all messages for federal records.

Amazon-Owned Encrypted Messaging App Wickr

Wickr was bought by Amazon's cloud-computing division last June and has contracts with a number of government agencies, according to an NBC News report.

The app has been popular among the military, government agencies, journalists, and politicians.

Little is known about how the agency has deployed the app. Its auto-deletion feature has made the platform a cause of concern for external watchdogs, aside from government record keepers.

Nikhel Sus, senior counsel for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said that CBP, like ICE and other agencies that DHS oversees, has an "abysmal track record" when it comes to following record-keeping laws. CREW is a nonprofit watchdog group.

Sus said that the practice has real consequences for accountability by impending investigations and oversight of the agency's activities. He added that the CBP's use of Wickr "certainly raises red flags."

Sus' nonprofit organization filed a lawsuit against CBP last month after it failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request that the watchdog group filed.

CREW is asking CBP to "fully and promptly process CREW's FOIA request and produce all non-exempt documents immediately."

Tammy T. Melvin, a spokesperson for CBP, noted that the agency could not comment on pending litigation. Melvin said that the distribution/use of Wickr is currently under review.

Wickr RAM, another product of Wickr, is intended for the military. It is not clear how its features and capabilities differ from the version of the app used by CBP.

CBP reportedly paid Wickr $700,000 for product licenses, with the new contract currently worth around $900,000, according to a Vice report.

The description of the contract noted that it is "to renew and procure additional Wickr software licenses and professional support" to use a secure instant messaging platform.

The contract was dated September 16, according to the records.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

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