What is Tchap, the secure messaging service that ministers will have to use at the start of the school year?

For Matignon, this is a matter of "communications security." According to a circular issued by Prime Minister François Bayrou on July 25, and spotted by Politico, government officials and ministerial offices will have to use the French secure messaging service Tchap starting September 1.

The goal? "To ensure the security of conversations and information shared through instant messaging services" such as WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram. "Indeed, some so-called secure commercial messaging services are under the influence of foreign countries," François Bayrou writes in his circular.

This includes Telegram, a widely used public service company whose Russian founder, Pavel Durov, has been under investigation in France since August 2024. US law can also, under certain specific conditions, particularly during investigations, force WhatsApp and Signal to hand over certain data to the authorities. This is also intended to ensure total security in the face of the "growing number of cyberattacks" targeting France.

Tchap presents itself as "the public sector instant messaging service (...) designed and managed by the French administration" and more specifically by the Interministerial Digital Directorate (Dinum). The data is therefore stored in France. It was officially launched in 2019: "more than 300,000 agents" are already using it "on a recurring basis," according to the Prime Minister's circular.

To connect, Tchap encourages the use of "ProConnect," the "identification and authentication system for agents working within the State civil service" and for "State operators." For example, Le Parisien was unable to create an account using a professional or traditional email address (Gmail or Outlook). But this messaging service "allows the invitation of external contacts in a secure manner," continues the document sent by Matignon.

But according to a presentation video released in early 2024 by the Ministry of the Armed Forces, Tchap resembles a traditional messaging service: on one side, direct conversations between two people or between several users, and on the other, a tab housing contacts. It can be used on a computer, a mobile phone, or a tablet.

According to the text, "each minister is responsible for the implementation of this circular within his ministry and for raising awareness among his teams of the issues of communications security."

In November 2023, Élisabeth Borne, then a Prime Minister, had already asked members of the government and their advisors to use only Olvid, a French app. François Bayrou's circular therefore replaces that of the former Prime Minister.

However, "ministerial offices currently using the Olvid solution, which also addresses security issues, can continue to use it while nevertheless favoring Tchap when it comes to exchanges with state administrations," the mayor of Pau also wrote.