Facebook has offered end-to-end encrypted chats for Messenger since 2016. But the service had to be activated for each individual chat session, which required users to be informed and also made it difficult to keep conversations secure. While it wasn’t ready to have encryption by default late last year, things have changed now. In the coming weeks, Facebook will test enabling end-to-end encrypted chats by default. The test will be launched for selected users who should notice that their chats are end-to-end encrypted without the need to take any action.
Facebook will also begin testing behavior in an end-to-end encrypted environment, such as cross-device syncing. This means that when you delete a message in one copy of Messenger, it will carry over to another copy on a different device. Users will also be able to unsend messages and reply to Facebook Stories, all in an end-to-end encrypted space. The company will also introduce end-to-end encryption for conversations made using Messenger. Although it’s a bit niche, encryption will also carry over to those using hands-free responses to Ray-Ban Stories.
To provide end-to-end encryption, Facebook will also make changes to some features found in Messenger. Vanish mode will be gone, but vanishing messages will still exist, meaning you can still send super sensitive messages, only to have them disappear after a certain amount of time. The company will also begin testing a new way to back up end-to-end encrypted chat messages called Secure Storage. The service will securely store encrypted backups of chat online. Currently, encrypted messages are stored on the devices themselves.
With security in mind, Facebook will have layers of protection in place when restoring an encrypted chat, requiring users to enter a PIN or use a generated code to access its content. If users choose to back up encrypted chats themselves, they will be able to do so using a service of their choice. While the rollout will be gradual, Facebook says it will start soon and continue until 2023.
Source: Facebook
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