San Francisco-based startup, Signal, announced on Wednesday that it has developed end-to-end encryption for voice and video chats, making it the first messaging app to do so. The company said that its new feature will make it difficult for law enforcement to access user data or eavesdrop on conversations. Signal also said that its new encryption technology will be available to all users of the app, regardless of whether they pay for a subscription. “We believe that secure communication is a fundamental human right,” said Moxie Marlinspike, co-founder and CEO of Signal. “Our goal is to make sure that everyone in the world can have secure conversations without fear of surveillance.” Signal’s announcement comes as privacy concerns continue to grow in light of recent revelations about the extent to which the U.S. government monitors digital communications. Earlier this year, reports emerged indicating that Facebook had provided user data to U.S. intelligence agencies without their consent. And earlier this month, it was revealed that WhatsApp had shared user data with Facebook and other companies without their consent or knowledge. ..
Facebook Messenger’s New Secure Update
Facebook has long realized the value in offering end-to-end encryption, as the option to encrypt text chats has been in the app since 2016. However, the company is now rolling out the same level of privacy and security to voice and video chats.
The company claims that it handles more than 150 million video calls per day on Messenger, so providing the option to encrypt them is a smart move.
With end-to-end encryption, nobody else, including Facebook, will be able to see or hear your voice and video chats. However, you will need to enable encryption, as it won’t be on by default. You’ll have to flip to a “Secret Conversation” (Messenger’s name for end-to-end encrypted chats) for your voice and video chats to receive encryption.
Additionally, Facebook is adding more options to its disappearing messages feature, which is also a part of secret conversations. The company has expanded the options for how long messages will stick around in disappearing mode. Now, you can choose anywhere between five seconds to as long as 24 hours.
Messenger Is Catching Up
Facebook-owned WhatsApp has offered encryption for calling for some time now, so it’s good to see Messenger catching up in security. Hopefully, Facebook keeps bringing new security enhancements to all of its messaging apps, as locking down conversations is always an excellent way to create some extra peace of mind.
