Facebook has consistently made headlines due to the security and privacy risks it poses to its users and has been embroiled in leaks of user data multiple times. The efforts of the social media company towards making user data more secure have now brought end-to-end encryption for Facebook Messenger calls and messages. Here’s everything you need to know about and how to enable this Facebook Messenger feature.
What is end-to-end encryption?
An end-to-end encrypted conversation ensures that the information you send and receive is secure from the moment it leaves your device until it reaches the recipient’s. This implies that nobody, including Facebook, can see or hear what is sent or said during this delivery. Your calls and messages in a conversation are further secured and protected with end-to-end encryption so that only you and the other person can see, hear, or read them.
How does end-to-end encryption work in Facebook Messenger?
An end-to-end encrypted conversation is protected by a unique key that is stored on each device participating in the conversation. Your device locks the message as it is being sent when you send it in a conversation that is end-to-end encrypted. Only a device that has access to one of the unique keys for that conversation can unlock this message. The same applies to the content in your audio and video-based conversations.
Enabling end-to-end encryption on Facebook Messenger
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1. Open the Facebook Messenger app on your smartphone.
2. Select the Chats option from the bottom menu.
3. Tap on the pen-like Edit icon available in the upper right corner of your screen.
4. Turn the toggle on for the lock icon in the top right.
5. Then, select the name of the person you want to chat with.
Limitations of end-to-end encryption in Facebook Messenger
Your messages are stored in the device’s browser (for instance, Chrome or Safari) when you send an end-to-end encrypted message over the internet, and as such, these end-to-end encrypted messages can be deleted from your browser’s storage when you perform actions like clearing your browser’s cookies or browsing in private mode, and then you might no longer be able to access them in the Messenger chat on that browser.
Also, when you switch to a different browser on the same device, you might not see your end-to-end encrypted messages.
The end-to-end encryption feature is not available for businesses or accounts belonging to public figures, says Meta.
