Dec 15, 2025 21:00:00

Zivver, a highly confidential messaging app used by government agencies and hospitals, was sold to a company linked to Israeli intelligence, raising concerns among experts that it was dangerous.

Zivver, a messaging app used by European government agencies and hospitals to send classified documents, has been sold to Kiteworks, a company with strong ties to Israeli intelligence. Experts have expressed concern that classified documents exchanged on Zivver could fall into Israeli hands.

Europeans' health data sold to US firm run by ex-Israeli spies - Follow the Money - Platform for investigative journalism

https://www.ftm.eu/articles/europe-health-data-us-firm-israel-spies

Zivver is a data security company co-founded in 2015 by Rick Houd and Wouter Klinkhamel. It provides an encrypted messaging app to help medical professionals securely share patient data. Dutch courts use Zivver to send confidential information, and lawyers also use it to submit confidential documents to courts. Several government agencies, including the Dutch Immigration Service, also use Zivver, and critical infrastructure such as Rotterdam Airport and The Hague Airport also use Zivver. Zivver is also used by hospitals and local governments in the UK, and by large hospitals in Belgium and Germany.

Secure Business Email | Zivver
https://www.zivver.com/

Investigative journalism organization Follow the Money surveyed several government agencies to find out why they use Zivver, and most cited the fact that data transferred via Zivver is stored on European servers.

However, in June 2025, Kiteworks, an American data security company, acquired Zivver. Kiteworks CEO Jonathan Yaron said of the acquisition, 'This is a proud moment for all of us.' 'This acquisition marks an important milestone in Kiteworks' ongoing mission to protect sensitive data across all communications channels.'

In response, Follow the Money pointed out, 'Yaron failed to mention that the acquisition comes at a time of political tension between the US and the EU and means that highly sensitive personal information about European and UK citizens will be directly in US hands.'

Additionally, as a result of Zivver becoming a US company, its data is now subject to US law, meaning it must provide access to information at the request of the US government, regardless of where the data is stored, Follow the Money points out.

'The US is rapidly deteriorating both legally and democratically, and handing over its courts and hospitals to the Dutch intelligence agency is a very naive idea,' said Bart Hubert, a former regulator for the Dutch intelligence agency. 'President Trump recently called on major IT companies to ignore European law, and they intend to do just that. We have no control over it. We communicate almost exclusively through American platforms. This means that the US can read our communications, and if it decides it doesn't like us, it could disrupt society as a whole.'

Hubert said that it is urgent to replace Zivver with a platform that complies with EU law, saying, 'All we have left is to rely on a new platform.'

Additionally, Follow the Money points out that many of Kiteworks' executives, including CEO Yaron, are former members of

Unit 8200 , the Israel Defense Forces' intelligence service, which specializes in eavesdropping and decrypting encrypted communications. Unit 8200 is made up of thousands of young soldiers with exceptional digital skills, and is able to intercept phone and internet communications around the world.

Israel's cybersecurity industry is made up of secret military organizations - GIGAZINE

Kiteworks is not the only US cybersecurity company employing former Israeli intelligence officers, and the trend has been growing in recent years. However, some experts point out that 'while not all former Israeli intelligence officers send classified data to Tel Aviv, the fact that so many former spies are working for a company creates a serious vulnerability. No other country has greater access to the US technology industry.'

Follow the Money points out the importance of the information Zivver handles, stating that 'the information Zivver handles (confidential communications between governments, hospitals, and citizens) is a potential gold mine for intelligence agencies.'

Additionally, Zivver claims that messages sent through its messaging app are encrypted and therefore completely inaccessible. However, an investigation by Follow the Money revealed that messages sent through the Zivver web app are uploaded to Zivver's servers in a readable format before being encrypted.

This means that if US authorities were to request that Kiteworks hand over Zivver data, the data could be provided. However, Kiteworks continues to argue that Zivver data cannot be accessed without the encryption keys used by its customers, making it impossible to hand over the data to US authorities.

Data security experts have questioned why the sale of Zivver was allowed to proceed without due diligence from European authorities . Hugo Faber, a former Dutch intelligence agency, said: 'All sorts of red flags should have been raised about the acquisition of Zivver.'

'It's bad enough that a company that plays such an important role in government communications falls into American hands. The fact that it has all kinds of Israeli spies in it is even more serious,' Hubert said, adding that the Dutch government should have intervened in the acquisition of Zivver.