The social media giant Facebook is adding end-to-end encryption for voice and video calls in Messenger.
Facebook Messenger got end-to-end encryption for text messages in 2016 when Facebook added a “secret conversation” option to its app.
Facebook says it’s adding the feature as interest in voice and video calls grow, saying Messenger now sees more than 150 million video calls a day.
“End-to-end encryption is already widely used by apps like WhatsApp to keep personal conversations safe from hackers and criminals. It’s becoming the industry standard and works like a lock and key, where just you and the people in the chat or call have access to the conversation.”
“The content of your messages and calls in an end-to-end encrypted conversation is protected from the moment it leaves your device to the moment it reaches the receiver’s device. This means that nobody else, including Facebook, can see or listen to what’s sent or said. “
Text conversations are getting a smaller update. If you’re setting a message to disappear, you’ll see more options for picking when it expired, from between five seconds and 24 hours. (It originally offered one-minute, 15-minute, one-hour, four-hour, and 24-hour increments.)
While everyone will see the updates above, Facebook is running a limited beta test of other features. Some users will see an option for end-to-end encrypted group chats and calls between “friends and family that already have an existing chat thread or are already connected.” Others will get support for Facebook’s existing non-E2EE controls over who can reach them on Messenger. And finally, if you use Instagram, a “limited test” will offer opt-in E2EE for that app’s direct messages as well.
