Facebook’s WhatsApp to Strengthen Encryption

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Facebook’s WhatsApp to Strengthen Encryption

By Correspondent

Facebook has bolstered the default encryption settings for more than one billion users of WhatsApp, it popular messaging service so that all messages will now be accessible only to the sender and recipient. This was announced on Tuesday. This came amidst heightened international debate over how much access law enforcement should have to digital communications. This is as a result of a high-profile showdown between Apple and the FBI over an encrypted iPhone linked to one of the San Bernardino shooters. To this effect, WhatsApp began working on developing full end-to-end encryption on its messages about two years ago with the help of software provided by Open Whisper Systems, a security non-profit. The communications app began offering it by default on text-only messages between two users in 2014, but group messages and those containing rich media such as photos and videos were not fully encrypted. As at yesterday, the entirety of WhatsApp messages was supported by end-to-end encryption, the company said, meaning the company will not have any capability to read customers’ messages even if approached by law enforcement. ”˜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 that message. ”˜Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us.’  WhatsApp said in a blog post announcing the update. This decision to increase the security of its messages is as a result of FBI’s high-profile attempt to force Apple to unlock an encrypted iPhone belonging to a Syed Farouk, who along with his wife opened fire at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California in December, killing 14 and wounding 22.

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