WhatsApp is being updated so that all voice calls and text messages would be encrypted for the 1 billion users of the company.
Yes, you heard it right! Finally, full end-to-end encryption has been implemented by Whatsapp, as it had promised an year back.
This means that voice calls, images or messages that are exchanged are secured by end-to-end encryption so that only the person who is communicating with you can read that content and no one else, not even WhatsApp. This means that WhatsApp can’t comply with court order in which access to the content is demanded.
From today, there would be a notification on the conversation saying “Message you send to this chat and calls are now secured with end-to-end encryption. Tap for more info.”
The reason for this is that messages are now secured with a lock and you and the recipient have the special key which is needed for unlocking and reading them. Apart from this, a small lock icon is seen below the recipient’s profile which ensures that the chat is encrypted. This is how the message would appear:
Verifying if someone is spying on the conversation!
The latest version of this popular messenger has an option of verifying the keys of users with whom the chat is on. This ensures that there is no man-in-the-middle attack. You can verify this Whatsapp key by scanning a QR code or by going to ‘verify security code’ option and comparing the 60 digit number.
All this happens automatically
You can also opt for a preference which would notify you each time there is a change in the security code of the contact. All this would happen automatically and there is no need of turning on settings or setting up secret chats.