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WhatsApp Switches On End-To-End Encryption For All Users

The world’s leading messaging app, WhatsApp, has just switched on end-to-end encryption for all messages sent between users.

Yesterday, members of the app received a notification saying: “Messages you send to this chat and calls are now secured with end-to-end encryption”.

The company said they made this move to stop users’ messages, photos, videos and documents from falling into the wrong hands.

With the feature now switched on, the only person who can read your messages is the person you’ve sent it too – not even WhatsApp has the ability to view the data.

As founders Brian Acton and Jan Koum said in a blog post: “We live in a world where more of our data is digitized than ever before. Every day we see stories about sensitive records being improperly accessed or stolen.

“And if nothing is done, more of people’s digital information and communication will be vulnerable to attack in the years to come. Fortunately, end-to-end encryption protects us from these vulnerabilities.”

It’s a landmark move by the world’s biggest messaging app, and perhaps a sign of things to come with regards to the security of digital messaging platforms, and likely something online dating companies will soon have to think about – considering the highly personal messages sent on such platforms, and the worries over security breaches.

As WhatsApp’s founders said: “While WhatsApp is among the few communication platforms to build full end-to-end encryption that is on by default for everything you do, we expect that it will ultimately represent the future of personal communication.”

The move comes after Apple’s high profile battle with the FBI over the iPhone encryption, which recently ended with the FBI dropping its lawsuit.

For an in-depth technical explanation of end-to-end encrypton, go here.

Simon Edmunds

Simon is the former editor of Global Dating Insights. Born in Newcastle, he has an English degree from Queen Mary, London and after working for the NHS, trained as a journalist with the Press Association. Passionate about music, journalism and Newcastle United.

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