Encrypted messaging app Session has left Australia and relocated its headquarters to Switzerland after police visited one of its employees wanting information.
Session is an encrypted messaging app aimed at preserving user privacy. As such, it competes in the same space as Signal and WhatsApp, although Session is more decentralized than either of its competitors, thereby providing greater anonymity. The app recently crossed the one million user mark, a sign that it’s popularity is growing.
According to 404 Media, Australian police went to a Session employee’s home and quizzed them about how the app works, as well as about a specific user. The organization wasted no time responding, forming the Session Technology Foundation in Switzerland to steward the app’s development and growth.
“Ultimately, we were given the choice between remaining in Australia or relocating to a more privacy-friendly jurisdiction, such as Switzerland. For the project to continue, it could not be centred in Australia,” Alex Linton, president of the newly formed Session Technology Foundation (STF) told 404 Media in a statement. Linton confirmed that Session will continue to be available and fully functional in Australia.
In the blog post announcing the creation of STF, the organization highlighted the benefits of being based in Switzerland.
The steward’s role is not to own or control Session, but to guide and support it. However, given the current regulatory environment in Australia around privacy technology and encrypted messaging, Session’s original steward, the OPTF, has chosen to pass on its responsibilities as steward of the project.
From now on, Session will be stewarded by a new Swiss foundation, the Session Technology Foundation.
The Swiss foundation model is aligned with Session’s mission, and the Session Technology Foundation brings stability and security as Session’s new steward.
Switzerland offers some of the most robust digital privacy regulations in the world, providing a home to many builders of privacy-tech, like Proton, Threema, and Nym. It’s a country with a long-standing tradition of respecting personal privacy and fostering technological innovation.
Session’s actions highlight the ongoing and growing challenges facing users who are concerned with their privacy and the apps that empower them to take back control. Jurisdictions are increasingly scrutinizing private and encrypted messaging platforms, often trying to pass legislation that forces encryption to be weakened or backdoored.
The EU, despite claiming to protect privacy, has repeatedly tried to pass its controversial Chat Control legislation aimed at weakening end-to-end encryption (E2EE), only being defeated each time in the eleventh hour.
What makes Switzerland such an appealing jurisdiction for Proton, Session, and others is the fact that it is not officially part of the EU. As a result, Switzerland is not bound by the EU’s decisions. What’s more, the country has some of the strongest privacy laws in the world, viewing privacy as a fundamental human right and giving anyone whose data is subpoenaed the opportunity to defend themselves before their data is handed over.
Session’s decision is a good move for the organization and its users, a move that many other companies would do well to consider.
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