Good news from Facebook, which recently shared an update on its plans for enable end-to-end encryption (E2EE) by default on Messenger. Apparently, in fact, the platform is testing the new option “among some people” as early as this week. Until now, users have had the ability to activate encryption for only a few selected chats, but apparently the system has only been accepted by a small number of security conscious users. This is why the choice to make the E2EE a default setting represents an important step for Facebook Messenger.
Facebook Messenger tests end-to-end encryption
Choosing to test end-to-end encryption as the default for Facebook Messenger is undoubtedly important. Especially if we consider that the App is used by over 1 billion persone worldwide. Sure, there is a possibility that some governments will declare that the option may prevent them from fighting crime, but it is clear that user safety will benefit. The E2EE, in fact, will not allow Facebook to view the messages exchanged between users, because only the participants in the conversation will be able to do so. And this will make it very difficult for third-party entities to “snoop” in other people’s chats.
Until now, however, encryption has proved to be an option available to a small group of users. And the fact that Facebook didn’t make it a default has caused him a lot of criticism, especially around the time the Supreme Court overturned the Roe ruling on the right to abortion. The fact that Meta could access users’ private data – including conversations on Facebook Messenger – scared US women, worried that law enforcement might collect data on abortive practices. In any case, the situation now appears to have changed. End-to-end encryption will become a default for all chats and calls on Messenger “in 2023“.
But this is not the only news dedicated to users of the platform. In fact, a feature called “secure storage“, Which will encrypt cloud backups of users’ chat history on Messenger. “[Stiamo] testing secure storage to back up those messages in case you lose your phone or want to restore your message history to a new supported device. As with end-to-end encrypted chats, secure storage means we won’t have access to your messages, unless you choose to report them to us ”.