Facebook Messenger Chats Now Offer End-to-End Encryption

Facebook is finally capitalizing on the promise it first made back in July, of making conversations on Messenger completely encrypted. The platform isn’t the first to offer such a feature but is definitely among the most used ones, even if it doesn’t offer it in full glory.

The feature, dubbed Secret Conversations, is now available to the billion or so active users of Messenger, as confirmed by Wired. It is turned off by default so it requires turning on manually. It also doesn’t make every conversation that has occurred in the past encrypted.

How to Activate:

In the latest version of Messenger, you’ll see a new secret icon in the top right corner of the app. Tap that and you can start an encrypted chat. Existing conversations can also be converted to secret ones, by tapping their name at the top, and toggling the Secret Conversations option.

Encryption Tech:

Messenger uses the renowned Signal encryption system, developed by the nonprofit Open Whisper Systems, which has already been implemented in the privacy-centered Signal Private Messenger. That app has the blessings of none other than Edward Snowden.

Of course, both the users need to update to the latest version of Messenger to use the updated security feature so first make sure that is done. The conversations can only be carried out on a single device at a time.

Room For Improvement:

The functionality of these conversations is a bit more limited in comparison to normal ones, with GIFs and videos not supported, yet.

The feature was first tested in beta in public back in July and only now is it arriving to the all users.

Messenger isn’t the first platform to offer such privacy, as Signal, Telegram and Whatsapp among others have had it for long. Though, it is certainly among the most used messaging apps. That will happen of course if you trust Facebook with your privacy in the first place.

Facebook Messenger Now Offers End-to-End Encryption for Chats

Following the recent surge in demand for secure apps, Facebook is now offering a new end-to-end encryption mode on Messenger, called Secret Conversations. The mode is currently available for a few users and could be in for prime time later this summer.

The mode brings Messenger in equal standing with competitors like iMessage, BBM and Whatsapp who already offer end-to-end encryption. Facebook highlights health and financial information as potential avenues where it could be used. It is not totally secure, but at least it demands a more sophisticated attack.

The mode resides inside the Messenger app, requiring no further installs. It will only work on one unique device at a time, be it your phone, laptop or desktop which makes sense as messages will only appear on the devices they’re delivered to. It will be very limited in terms of features at first, not supporting GIFs, payments, videos or any other Messenger features. Secret Conversations also won’t be turned on by default.

Users can time their messages to self-destruct after an allotted period, allowing greater controls over privacy.

Facebook, which came recently under fire from users for supposedly making their shared links on Messenger easy for marketers to find, is releasing the feature as a way to appease some of the bad press.

With 900 million users under its pocket, Messenger could be highly successful in getting encryption to larger populations. That is, if Facebook can shed away the trust issues to begin with.

Viber added End-to-End Encryption & PIN Protected Hidden Chats Features in Update

Viber, the popular mobile messaging app announced Tuesday that it has added full end-to-end encryption for video, voice and text message services for its millions of users.

Here, the end-to-end encryption means only you and the person you are communicating with can read the content, and nobody in between, not even the company and if court orders company to provide user data, they will get only the heaps of encrypted data.

Viber is the latest messaging platform to join WhatsApp, Telegram, and Apple iMessage, who strengthened their default privacy features in recent times.

Founded in 2010 and acquired by Japanese e-commerce titan Rakuten for $900 Million in 2014, Viber is currently being used by more than 700 Million users globally across Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and desktop, the company claimed in a blog post published today.

The move comes just a couple of weeks after Facebook-owned Whatsapp messaging app implemented full end-to-end encryption by default for its one billion users.

Besides offering end-to-end encryption on all communication, the company will also provide a new PIN-protected hidden chat feature to help its users hide conversations from the main chat list, as well as Contact Authentication feature to verify contacts you're talking to.

All users need to update their app with the latest version of the company's software, Viber 6.0, take advantage of the features.Once installed, your Viber app will now show you a padlock in conversations to confirm that your one-to-one and group messages are end-to-end encrypted.

However, users will probably need to wait few weeks before everyone's app updates to add the new end-to-end encryption on Android and iOS.

In the wake of Apple’s months-long battle with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over an iPhone used by a San Bernardino terrorist, it seems like end-to-end encryption has become a trend and you’ll continue to see this in more applications and services.

WhatsApp Turns ON End-to-End Encryption for ALL

WhatsApp is updating its messaging app so that every text message and voice call will be encrypted for the company’s one billion users.

Yes, Whatsapp has finally implemented full end-to-end encryption, as promised a year ago.

This means, from now every message, image or voice call you made will be secured by end-to-end encryption so that only you and the person you're communicating with can read the content of the message, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp.

In other words, this also means that WhatsApp would not be able to comply with any court order that demands access to the content of any conversation happens over its service.

Starting today, you will see a notification on your WhatsApp conversation screen as your messenger becomes end-to-end encrypted, as shown in the screenshot.

"Message you send to this chat and calls are now secured with end-to-end encryption. Tap for more info." 

"This is because your messages are secured with a lock, and only the recipient and you have the special key needed to unlock and read them," Whatsapp says.

Additionally, you will be able to see a small lock icon below the profile of the recipient that ensures your conversation is secured with encryption.

"All of this happens automatically: no need to turn on settings or set up special secret chats to secure your messages," the company adds.

How to verify if someone is trying to spy on your conversation?

Well,  the latest version of WhatsApp mobile application offers you an option to verify the keys of the other users with whom you are communicating, ensuring prevention from the man-in-the-middle attack.

Whatsapp key verification can be done by scanning a QR code, or by comparing a 60-digit number, under newly introduced "verify security code" option in the WhatsApp.

"WhatsApp users can opt in to a preference which notifies them every time the security code for a contact changes."

About a year ago, Facebook partnered with ‘Open Whisper System’, company behind the popular Signal and TextSecure encryption apps, to integrate the Signal's Open source strong encryption protocol into WhatsApp messaging app.

Important Note — However, there is one point to be noted that if several users are sending texts in a group chat and one of the users is running an older version of WhatsApp that doesn’t support encrypted messages, all the conversation going through that group chat will remain unencrypted.

FBI Directors Pleadge to Tech companies don't offer for End to End Encryption

FBI declared War against Encryption.

Encryption is defeating government intelligence agencies to detect terrorist activities and after the recent ISIS-linked terror attacks in Paris and California, the issue has once again become a political target in Washington.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan plans to make it Mandatory for its Citizens to Install Internet Backdoor, allowing the government to intercept users' traffic to any secure website and access everything from web browsing history to usernames and passwords.

FBI: For God's Sake, Don't Use End-to-End Encryption

At a Senate hearing on Wednesday, FBI's Director James Comey called for tech companies currently providing users with end-to-end encryption to reconsider "their business model" and simply stop doing that, reported The Intercept.

Yes, instead of asking companies for a "backdoor" this time, Comey suggested them to adopt encryption techniques that help federal agencies intercept and turn over end-to-end encrypted communications when necessary.

"The government doesn't want a backdoor, but [it] hopes to get to a place where if a judge issues an order, the company figures out how to supply that information to the judge and figures out on its own the best way to do that," said Comey.

Comey: Keep Readable Version of Customers' Messages

End-to-end Encryption is a secure communication that encrypts the data on the sender's system before passing it to a company server. The company then passes the encrypted data to the intended recipient, who is the only person who can decrypt it.

Nobody in between, be an application service provider, an Internet service provider (ISP), hacker, or even law enforcement officials, can read the data or tamper with it.

However, Comey is asking for the technology companies to retain a readable version of that initial data, just in case the authorities need it.

"There are plenty of companies today that provide secure services to their customers and still comply with court orders," he said. "There are plenty of folks who make good phones [and] are able to unlock them in response to a court order."