WhatsApp now has end-to-end encryption feature globally in all platforms. The app which has over 1 billion active users is most secure messaging app across Android, iPhone, Blackberry and other platforms. For those of you who are not aware of WhatsApp encryption end to end, it is a feature which will prevent a third person to peep into your messages.
While it is good news for users who are really concerned about privacy like me, it is going to be challenging days ahead for the Governments and the law enforcement of all countries. According to best secure messaging app WhatsApp, even the company does not have a decryption key to decode the messages.
Jan Koum and Brian Acton, the co-founders of WhatsApp said in the official blog post, “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 cyber criminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us.”
Therefore it is very evident that the government and other law enforcement bodies won’t be able to track and intercept the user data from encrypted messaging app. Even a warrant is not going to help in this case.
“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,” quotes the blog post.
In the recent few months, we witnessed Apple defending a court order to unlock an iPhone and assist the FBI on a case involving a terrorist. Many leading organizations such as Facebook and Amazon came forward in support of Apple. So, no wonder if the companies are enabling the end-to-end encryption in their apps. Because, at the end of the day, all that matters is the user satisfaction. Hence, we can assume this feature to stay a little longer in WhatsApp messenger until the governments take any action.
Let us know your experience about WhatsApp encryption feature and what is your experience about this messaging apps once you do the WhatsApp update. Share with us if you get any trouble in reading the WhatsApp message?
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