WhatsApp Bumps Up Security With Fully Encrypted Messages

With all the news about the FBI and Apple going around, data privacy and security has become a hot topic. This theme springs to mind with news of WhatsApp's latest update, which will see every text, voice call, and message sent on the app, protected with a strong encryption.

This new update will potentially put millions of conversations outside the view of authorities. With the new update, all users running the latest version of the app on iPhone, Android, Nokia or even Blackberry will be able send and receive messages, attachments and voice calls that can only be deciphered by the recipient. According to a blog post by Jan Koum, CEO of WhatsApp, "No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us."

This works by securing messages with a "lock," which only the recipient and sender are able to unlock and read with a special key. Each message will have its own unique lock and key, which is generated automatically. This whole issue came up after the stint between Apple and the FBI regarding data access to one of San Bernardino shooters' iPhones, which Apple refused. Eventually the FBI managed to unlock the phone. However, it stirred up one of the largest debates regarding privacy. "For me, it's personal," wrote Koum. "I grew up in the USSR during Communist rule, and the fact that people couldn't speak freely is one of the reasons my family moved to the United States."

WhatsApp was bought by Facebook for $19 billion in 2014.

This article was originally published on tbreak and has been reposted on Entrepreneur Middle East based on a mutual agreement between the websites.

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