An episode has come out of Brazil that has once again put digital security under scrutiny. At its centre is WhatsApp and its famous end-to-end encryption, so often presented as an impenetrable shield. But the recent investigation into former president Jair Bolsonaro showed that the protection has limits more fragile than public perception suggests.
How the Federal Police accessed the data
During the investigation, the Federal Police recovered text messages, images and even some audio recordings directly from the mobile phone seized from Bolsonaro. According to Final Report No. 3305694/2025, the material was obtained without any collaboration from Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, and without breaking the encryption while the messages were in transit.
What happened was different: even when deleted, much of the content could be reconstructed using forensic data-extraction software, used directly on the device. In other words, the weakness was not in communication in transit, but in local storage on the phone.
Forensic tools in action
The Federal Police did not reveal which programs it used. However, the international market knows of tools such as Cellebrite Premium, of Israeli origin, capable of accessing the file system, unlocking phones and restoring deleted data.
These solutions exploit vulnerabilities or use advanced recovery techniques, always on the physical device. Encryption remains effective between sender and recipient, but ceases to be a barrier when the phone falls into the hands of the authorities.
The real limit of encryption
This is not an isolated case. In Brazil, the investigation into the homicide of Henry Borel also involved the recovery of deleted WhatsApp messages. The technical details remain guarded as a trade secret, but the lesson is clear: the promise of “absolute security” does not hold when the weakest link – the user’s phone – is compromised.
Encryption, then, protects against external interception, but not against local access. Anyone who believes their conversations are untouchable simply because they are encrypted may have more confidence than the technology actually guarantees.
Safer alternatives gain ground
Faced with these limits, interest is growing in platforms that offer additional layers of privacy. Applications such as the Swiss Threema, for example, allow the service to be used without a phone number, minimise data storage and benefit from stricter legislation on digital protection. That is why they are beginning to gain ground among high-profile figures and users seeking real confidentiality, beyond the reach of traditional forensic examination.
