WhatsApp has made a huge stride towards protecting the privacy of its users, turning on end-to-end encryption for its messaging service.
The Facebook-owned company has now effectively ensured that no one can read the messages sent by its users other than the recipients, with even WhatsApp itself unable to access them. Though the company has been introducing various encryption features for a number of years, the latest update to the app marks the first time they have fully committed to the idea.
Speaking to Wired, co-founder Jan Koum said: “We’re somewhat lucky here in the United States, where we hope that the checks and balances hold out for many years to come and decades to come. But in a lot of countries, you don’t have these checks and balance.”
A statement on the WhatsApp blog reads: “The idea is simple: when you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to. No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us. End-to-end encryption helps make communication via WhatsApp private – sort of like a face-to-face conversation.”
It continues: “Encryption is one of the most important tools governments, companies, and individuals have to promote safety and security in the new digital age. Recently there has been a lot of discussion about encrypted services and the work of law enforcement. While we recognize the important work of law enforcement in keeping people safe, efforts to weaken encryption risk exposing people’s information to abuse from cybercriminals, hackers, and rogue states.”
With user privacy a more pressing concern than ever following the court case between the FBI and Apple, this is a major statement from WhatsApp, making it clear that the company is seeking to honor the privacy of its users. The end-to-end encryption will feature on every device that has the latest version of WhatsApp installed.
