It was one of the news that had rumoured long ago that WhatsApp will do encryption of messages, it is now for real. WhatsApp has taken a step forward towards privacy of users and has enabled end-to-end encryption to secure the chats and calls between two users
. When end-to-end encrypted, your messages, photos, videos, voice messages, documents, and calls are secured from falling into the wrong hands.
From now on when you and your contacts use the latest version of the app, every call you make, and every message, photo, video, file, and voice message you send, is end-to-end encrypted by default, including group chats.
If users are using the latest version of WhatsApp, they don't have to do a thing to encrypt their messages. End-to-end encryption is on by default and all the time.
You can read more about end-to-end encryption here.
Encryption is basically a tool used by companies and individuals for safety and security of their valuable data in this present digital age
The Mechanism
WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption ensures only you and the person you're communicating with can read what is sent, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp. This is because your messages are secured with a lock, and only the recipient and you have the special key needed to unlock and read them. For added protection, every message you send has its own unique lock and key. All of this happens automatically: no need to turn on settings or set up special secret chats to secure your messages.
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 cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not even WhatsApp.
WhatsApp has more than a billion users and now, every single one of those people can talk freely and securely on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum announced the update on his Facebook page, stating that the company has been working on the feature for the last two years.
Koum wrote, “We’ve been working for the past two years to give people better security over their conversations on WhatsApp… People deserve security. It makes it possible for us to connect with our loved ones. It gives us the confidence to speak our minds. It allows us to communicate sensitive information with colleagues, friends, and others. We’re glad to do our part in keeping people’s information out of the hands of hackers and cyber-criminals.”
