Messenger will evolve in depth in 2023, with automatic end-to-end and more user-friendly encryption to secure conversations. What to support the comparison with WhatsApp, the other messaging star of Meta?
We don’t necessarily think about it at the time, but we reveal a lot of information about ourselves when we chat via instant messaging, information that can be collected and used for malicious purposes by a third party. That’s why data encryption, which makes conversations unreadable as they pass between servers – no one, including the company in charge of the service, can see or hear what is sent or said, if is not the interlocutors –, is so important. It is thanks to him that the security and confidentiality of messages and calls of users are ensured, from the minute they leave the device until they reach that of the recipient. The problem is that this does not apply to all applications.
Thus, in Messenger, data encryption, which has been available since 2016, is not done automatically, it must be activated manually in the application for each conversation – you have to go to it, press the Information icon and then Access secret conversation. Suffice to say that few people use it, especially since the encrypted mode does not have many functions yet present in unencrypted mode – there is enough to put off more than one. A problem that Meta is trying to solve little by little by adding new options in the hope of making the mode more user-friendly and less restrictive. Thus, the firm of Mark Zunkerberg has just announced on his blog that the encrypted version of Messenger now has more functions, which should encourage more people to use it.
Messenger 2023: towards user-friendly encryption by default
An end-to-end encrypted chat is protected by a unique key that is shared among all participating devices. Thus, the device locks the message being sent so that only a device possessing one of the conversation keys can unlock this message. Meta’s long-term goal is to make all of its instant messengers encrypted by default – which is already the case for WhatsApp – so that users don’t have to do anything to protect their chats. A long-standing project that is progressing slowly, but which the firm promises to achieve in 2023.
The new version of Messenger will change the messaging themes on encrypted chats so that users are no longer forced to have a default background on secure conversations. It will also offer custom emojis and allow you to set a profile picture for group chats. The user will also be able to share a link, see its thumbnail and get a preview. Additionally, active/inactive statuses will become visible. Finally, on the Android application, the user will be able to easily and quickly access his encrypted discussions thanks to chat bubbles. In short, so many essential functions that were previously only present in the “normal” mode of Messenger.
Currently, Meta is expanding its testing on using the default end-to-end data encryption system.. “Over the next few months, more and more people will continue to have some of their chats gradually upgraded with an extra layer of protection provided by end-to-end encryption,” explains the company. These are chosen randomly, and the firm will inform them when the time comes. However, some governments are strongly opposed to this project. This is particularly the case of the United States, which wishes to be able to investigate gangs, terrorists or even criminals in complete freedom.