Meta is finally adding end-to-end encryption to one-on-one chats and calls in Messenger, ensuring much-expected security to the chat platform.
It was over half a decade ago, in 2016, when Meta announced that users could opt into end-to-end encryption, but now it’s going to be available by default, making you and your friend or family member the only people who can view your chats.
Loredana Crisen, VP of Messenger, shared a statement with The Verge on the announcement, “This has taken years to deliver because we’ve taken our time to get this right,”
“Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up.”
Crisen added, “it may take some time” for all users to receive end-to-end encryption rollout, so even if the company has announced the rollout there is no expected timeframe.
In 2019, Mark Zuckerberg said, “I believe the future of communication will increasingly shift to private, encrypted services where people can be confident what they say to each other stays secure and their messages and content won’t stick around forever,” nearly five years later and we’re still waiting.
Security at last? — iMore’s take
Meta is the outright champion of social media platforms, providing the world with Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger. To think in 2023, we’re stuck waiting for end-to-end encryption on a chat platform is honestly bewildering.
Yes, Meta says it wants to roll out these features correctly, but why has it taken so long? Especially when you consider that WhatsApp has had end-to-end encryption for years. Hopefully, this announcement is a step toward Meta adding encryption by default not only to Messenger but also to Instagram, the social media platform with 2 billion active monthly users.
