In a significant move towards enhanced privacy and security, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced today the rollout of default end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for personal messages and calls on Messenger and Facebook. Alongside this major update, a suite of new features has been introduced, giving users more control over their messaging experience.
Since 2016, Messenger has offered the option for users to manually enable end-to-end encryption. However, private chats and calls across Messenger will now be automatically protected by end-to-end encryption by default. This upgrade comes after years of investment and testing, reflecting Meta’s commitment to providing a safer, more secure, and private messaging service.
Meta has implemented the Signal Protocol, recognized as the gold standard in encrypted messaging apps and used by Signal, as well as its proprietary Labyrinth Protocol to ensure the security of Messenger’s end-to-end encryption. The implementation of end-to-end encryption adds an extra layer of security, ensuring that the content of messages and calls is protected from the moment they leave the sender’s device to the moment they reach the recipient’s device. Notably, even Meta cannot access the content unless a user chooses to report a message to the platform.
In a blog post, Messenger head Loredana Crisan highlighted the collaborative efforts involving Meta’s engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts, and product managers to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up. The company worked closely with external experts, academics, advocates, and governments to address potential risks and implement mitigations, striking a balance between privacy and safety.
New Features Introduced:
Message Editing: Users can now edit messages within 15 minutes of sending them. Despite the ability to edit, Meta retains the ability to view previous versions of edited messages, providing a layer of accountability.
Disappearing Messages: Disappearing messages on Messenger now last for 24 hours after being sent, enhancing security and privacy. The 24-hour disappearing message mode in E2EE chats will also notify users when another participant takes a screenshot.
Read Receipts Control: A new read receipt control feature allows users to decide whether others can see when they have read their messages, offering more privacy and reducing the pressure to respond immediately.
Photo and Video Upgrades: Improvements to photo and video sharing include easier access, upgraded image quality, fun layouts, and additional controls for replies and reactions. Further enhancements, such as testing HD media and file-sharing improvements, are in progress.
Voice Messaging: With voice messaging being the fastest-growing format, Messenger now allows users to play voice messages at 1.5x or 2x speeds, resume listening from where they left off, and continue listening even when navigating away from the chat or the app.
Security Engineering Transparency: Meta emphasizes transparency in its security technology. The company welcomes engagement with external cryptographers and security experts. Two papers outlining the approach to cryptography and the encryption of message history with Secure Storage will be published.
While these features are available for immediate use, the global rollout of default end-to-end encryption for Messenger chats will take several months. Users will be prompted to set up a recovery method, such as a PIN when their chats are upgraded.
The announcement marks the most significant set of improvements to Messenger since its launch in 2011. The app now combines speed, reliability, enjoyable features, and robust safety tools with the added privacy and security of end-to-end encryption.
