End-to-end encryption is now available to everyone in Facebook Messenger.
End-to-end encryption was first introduced by Facebook (now Meta) years ago, but only now, in January 2022 you have received all registered users the much-awaited security feature. Encrypted conversations can be invoked in two ways: by long swiping up from an existing chat window in the app, or by clicking on the lock icon in the message button. The interesting thing about these text messages is that they disappear as soon as the chat window is closed.
In addition to the broad rollout of this feature, there are some new features coming to Messenger. These now include the ability to use GIFs, stickers and reactions in encrypted messages, and you'll soon be able to save images from encrypted messages. Another feature, familiar from Snapchat, will also be coming in the coming weeks, which will let users know if a screenshot has been taken of the message.
Meta's preliminary plans for end-to-end encryption by default was going to appear in Messenger, but as a number of organisations expressed concerns about the feature, it was put on the back burner. WhatsApp chat, which is also part of the Meta empire, has had encrypted messaging as a default setting for years.
The essence of end-to-end encryption is that only the sender and the recipient can see and hear the messages. With data security being one of the most pressing issues today, it goes without saying how important and useful this security feature can be.
