The recent partnership of WhatsApp with Open Whisper Systems is nothing but good news for users who might have questioned the security or privacy of their WhatsApp messages. In its latest update for Android, the company has integrated the TextSecure encryption protocol.
What Does this Mean?
With the TextSecure encryption protocol in place, your messages are end-to-end encrypted. In other words, your messages can be read only by you and the receiver. So, this eliminates the risk of a hacker or anyone decrypting and reading your messages while it is traveling to the recipient’s device.
With the TextSecure encryption protocol in place, your messages are end-to-end encrypted. In other words, your messages can be read only by you and the receiver. So, this eliminates the risk of a hacker or anyone decrypting and reading your messages while it is traveling to the recipient’s device.
This Encryption Technology is Stronger than What Facebook and Google Uses
While our emails and messages on Facebook and Google are encrypted, they can still be read by authorities if permitted by law. TextSecure, on the other hand, ensures that the message is only read by the sender and the recipient, and no one else, nada. So, even if the government compels WhatsApp to share your data, there is no way they can do it. Hence, it can be safely said that this is the strongest security feature any major texting app has ever offered.
As per reports, WhatsApp is by far the largest platform that has deployed end-to-end encrypted communication in history.
While our emails and messages on Facebook and Google are encrypted, they can still be read by authorities if permitted by law. TextSecure, on the other hand, ensures that the message is only read by the sender and the recipient, and no one else, nada. So, even if the government compels WhatsApp to share your data, there is no way they can do it. Hence, it can be safely said that this is the strongest security feature any major texting app has ever offered.
As per reports, WhatsApp is by far the largest platform that has deployed end-to-end encrypted communication in history.
Limitations
As of now, the TextSecure protocol only encrypts your text messages and not group chats, images and videos. However, Open Whisper Systems has stated in a blog post that they will be rolling out support even for these issues in the near future.
As of now, the TextSecure protocol only encrypts your text messages and not group chats, images and videos. However, Open Whisper Systems has stated in a blog post that they will be rolling out support even for these issues in the near future.
Do you have to Activate the TextSecure Protocol on your WhatsApp?
You do not have to do anything to turn this security feature ON, as it would be enabled by default. Also, this will not affect the way you use the WhatsApp in anyway. As Open Whisper Systems’ co-founder Moxie Marlinspike says it, “Ordinary users won’t know the difference, it’s totally frictionless.”
You do not have to do anything to turn this security feature ON, as it would be enabled by default. Also, this will not affect the way you use the WhatsApp in anyway. As Open Whisper Systems’ co-founder Moxie Marlinspike says it, “Ordinary users won’t know the difference, it’s totally frictionless.”
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