introduced end-to-end encryption in Messenger in 2016, but it was only available as an opt-in feature for certain chats rather than as the default. Compared to Facebook Messenger's lackadaisical approach to e2e encryption, another Meta-owned instant messaging platform, WhatsApp, implemented default e2e encryption in 2014 for Android-to-Android chats, while chats originating from or ending in the iOS app were encrypted by 2016.
End-to-end encryption obfuscates messages exchanged between two parties so that only the sender and the recipient can read the content. As a result, no intermediary can sneak a peek into e2e encrypted messages. The protocol, considered one of the gold standards for online privacy, is also implemented by other messaging apps, including Signal. The technology helps improve privacy by not only keeping data safe from hackers but also keeping it away from the prying eyes of the government, app-makers, rs and ISPs.
According to an official press release by Meta, the company has begun testing default end-to-end encryption in the Facebook Messenger app for chats between "some people." It means that people in the test group would enjoy e2e encryption for chats with some of their s while their conversations with other s remain unencrypted. The company also clarified that s will still be able to report messages if they violate its policies. As things stand, the company expects to roll out default end-to-end encryption for personal messages and calls globally next year.
Default End-to-End Encryption In Facebook Messenger
Along with default e2e encryption, Meta also announced some other updates, including a new 'secure storage' feature that will allow s to back up encrypted messages without breaking encryption. As part of the plan, s can transfer their encrypted chat histories between devices when they get a new phone. Meta also announced that it is killing off the 'Vanish Mode' in Messenger, although the 'Disappearing Messages' feature will remain untouched. Alongside Messenger, Meta is also expanding e2e encryption on Instagram after introducing it in a limited way last year.
The expansion in e2e encryption on Facebook Messenger comes following severe public backlash after Meta handed over chats of a Nebraska woman to law enforcement for allegedly helping her 17-year-old daughter perform an illegal abortion. In response to the backlash, the company claimed that it was just complying with a court warrant, but the case has proven to be a rallying point for activists who have been warning about precisely this kind of situation in post-Roe USA. However, in a communiqué to Wired, Meta said that the move to strengthen e2e encryption in Facebook Messenger "is totally unrelated (to the Nebraska abortion case)" and that, the company has been working on this expansion for a long time.